The Unknown II
by StakeTheHeart
Summary: Follows FFXIII-2 story line but continues from The Unknown so read that first. Some parts are majorly changed while other parts are minor. Still a HopexLightning with the rating just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**Ok so here's my start to the second game which is taking me so long to do because the game is taking too long to finish but the end is in sight. I categorized this in Final Fantasy XIII because I wanted to keep the first one with the second one so it would be easier to find but it takes place in Final Fantasy XIII-2. Enjoy and let me know what you think in reviews!**

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Waves of icy water flowed over Lightning as she got to her feet. She looked around in confusion before memories battled for a place in her mind. She had been standing guard on the watchtower of Oerba waiting for Hope to visit like he usual did. A strange feeling had settled over her before a light flashed in the sky. She glanced up at the still standing ruins of Cocoon to see a bright light. The very air around her seemed to warp and soon a fissure opened up near the tower. She jumped from her perch and transformed in midair. Flying would get her to the village much faster. She landed and hit the floor running. A massive rumble rolled through the ground and before she knew it, she was falling.

She tried to grab hold of the ground with her claws but the strong force was still dragging her down. She lost her grip and tumbled into darkness only to come out into a tunnel of odd glowing rings. She floated along them until she was thrown into a bright light and blacked out. That was when she found herself here. The land was dreary and bland. Ocean surrounded a half destroyed city. She silently made her way into the city and wandered into the grandest building. A lone throne sat in a spotlight. Lightning walked into the room to better see the majestic throne and was immediately assaulted by images. Images she did not understand nor belonged to her. She recoiled from them until a soft voice spoke to her.

The voice guided her through the images appearing in her mind. She felt tears track down her face from the sheer emotions that ran through her. She understood her purpose and knew what had to be done. She walked forward and fell to her knees in front of the throne. She bowed her head and a light shone on her. It lifted her in the air and slowly changed her clothes into the shiny steel of a knight with a shield on her arm and feathers around her waist. Once her feet touched the floor she immediately sank into a bow of respect. It was her duty to go forth and fight the rising Chaos she had seen threatening everything in existence.

"_Only you can defeat this threat Death Wraith. I have chosen you of many because your strength cannot be matched by another. With the extra powers I have granted you, you are only missing one thing. The one who stabilizes your light is still very far from you. He will find his way to you when the time is right. Only you can decide to take on that extra power. For now, you must defend what you can and lead them in the right direction. You know what to do," _the voice from within her thoughts stated.

"I will do as you ask," Lightning replied as she stood to full height. She walked out of the room and back outside. In the distance, a figure released a blast of purple light into the sky. The force of the power blew apart rocks which floated in the air. A giant meteor slowly fell from the sky while monsters were called into existence.

"Caius, I will stop you," Lightning whispered. She darted forward and called to the power she was granted. A being of white with a shield, cape, and double sided sword materialized before her. It stood tall and walked forward to await her orders.

"Let's go Odin!" she commanded. It nodded and changed into a horse. She took her place upon its back and together they rode off in pursuit of the black suited, purple haired man named Caius.

Hope left Serah at the hospital and walked back to begin his rounds at the watch tower. It was his turn tonight. As he walked, he began to wonder why everyone had acted like Lightning was some sort of taboo. The only clue Hope had to explain this behavior were strange memories in which Lightning lost herself to darkness and almost destroyed Oerba. They casted her out and she was never seen again. Just the thought made his heart ache. The memories felt like they should belong to him but they just didn't make sense. Lightning never lost control and never failed to keep the town safe from approaching monsters. She never once hurt a single person. He had come to realize his dreams felt more like the truth.

He had dreams of a time when he visited her during work and even lived with her. She loved him and he loved her despite what she had become. His light saved her so why would she have lost control? He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He didn't know what to believe anymore. He entered the tower and found warmer clothes for his shift on the roof. As he changed, he ran a hand over the marred skin of his shoulder and then down to the claw indentations surrounding his heart. When he was done he sat on his bed. The tower held only one room and that was where he lived. Anyone else who took shifts on watch did not have access to it. He laid back to think for the few minutes he had left.

Everyone kept to the awful story that Lightning had been cast out for what she did. He found himself questioning those around him only to be told he was wrong. Serah was the only one who seemed to hesitate uncomfortably when Hope brought up the subject of Lightning. She seemed sad that she wasn't around just as much as Hope. In fact, Snow believed in Lightning so much that he had left to go find her, leaving Serah to worry about two people she held dear. Hope had a feeling Serah knew something so he decided to sit her down for a talk whether she liked it or not. He rose and glanced out the window before turning to climb the stairs to the top. He stood at the edge, in the exact same spot he saw Lightning stand all those times before. He knew she was out there somewhere and often wondered how she was doing without him.

"Claire, why aren't you here?" he whispered to the wind. He stayed at his post until he was relieved. He made his way back to his room and got ready to sleep. When he finally fell into a restless sleep, he dreamed of Lightning's voice telling him that she needed his and Serah's help. When he tried to reach out to her she was already gone. He awoke with a start and looked around. He hung his head sadly and that's when he saw what he wore. A nice yellow and white jacket with white slacks and a bright blue tie made him jump out of bed and on his feet. He found a pair of boots by his bed and slipped them on.

"When did I get these?" he asked himself. Maybe he **should** go see Serah. He ran out the door and down the walkway to Serah and Snow's place. He knocked on the door hastily and a very confused, tired, Serah answered. Serah looked worried in a pink and white, elegant, looking wardrobe he had never seen her wear before.

"We need to talk," Hope told her. She nodded knowingly and he walked in.

"What's up with the new clothes? Do you know what's going on?" he asked her after shutting the door. Serah hesitated and then nodded an affirmative.

"It's Lightning; I think she may be trying to reach us in our dreams. These clothes mean something. I just don't know what," Serah said.

"She needs our help. Whatever happened to her that changed our memories of the past is what's going on now. The only thing I can't figure out is how we reach her," Hope said in contemplation. Serah nodded thoughtfully.

"So that's why I've been having dreams of talking to Lightning," Serah said. Hope stared at her with curiosity.

"You've been talking to Light? How come you haven't said anything? What did she say?" Hope demanded.

"Well, she told me that she needed help," Serah said.

"That's what she told me. Do you know where she is?" Hope asked.

"Valhalla," she answered. Hope gave her a confused frown.

"Valhalla, what's that?" he wondered.

"Not what; where, the word just popped into my head but I have no idea where it is. I just know that's where Claire is," Serah responded. Hope began pacing and only stopped when Serah placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry Hope. We'll find her. It's not like she's ever in grave danger. She can take care of herself even when she was human," she stated. Suddenly, there was a flash of light outside. The two of them ran for the door and burst through to see a giant meteor fall from the sky and crash into the ground. The resulting shudder almost knocked them off their feet. People began to panic.

"Look, what's going on?" Hope exclaimed. He glanced around but his eyes were quickly drawn to Serah. She was looking around in a scared manner.

"Serah, are you ok?" Hope asked as he shook her softly to get her attention. She blinked rapidly before turning to him.

"Yeah, I'm alright," she answered.

"Come on, we need to get out of here!" Hope said as he grabbed her by the wrist and ran forward. They were heading for Fang, Vanille, Sazh, and Dajh who were huddled together. Strange bolts of orange lightning hit the ground randomly and mechanical blue bug like monsters materialized to attack fleeing villagers. They were almost to the group when a bolt blocked their path. The monsters quickly surrounded them.

"Looks like we have to fight," Hope said grimly. He looked down at the big pouch now strapped to the side of his hip and was happy to see his Airwing boomerang. He unlatched it and held it firmly. Sazh had made it for him with the components the warriors brought in from their kills. Lightning trained him how to use it since she was the only one with knowledge on almost every type of weapon. He backed up close to Serah with the boomerang in one hand and a shimmering fist ready to cast magic. He was tense but ready. The monsters scuttled forward and Hope launched at the threat. He sent out a blast of electricity followed by a toss of his boomerang. Serah stayed busy by keeping well behind Hope's defenses while casting elementals. With their combined attacks, the monsters were defeated. They made it to the group and fortified their fight force consisting of Sazh, Fang, and Vanille. Serah kept Dajh out of the way of danger.

"Hey you guys. Been wonderin' when you would join the fray," Sazh said as he glanced at them.

"Less talking, more fighting!" Fang commanded with a leap that sunk her spear through a monster on the way down. They fought off groups of the weird creatures until they no longer appeared. The village only suffered minor damage and some people were wounded but there were no casualties.

"What happened?" Fang asked them when they could relax.

"We're just as confused as you," Serah answered.

"What's with the new threads?" Sazh asked them. They all looked down as if wondering too.

"Why, you like them?" Serah questioned playfully. Sazh laughed. Fang ignored her and kept talking.

"We saw a meteor hit the ground not too far out of the village. It hit pretty close to your house Hope. I was thinking we should go check it out to make sure it won't cause us any extra problems," Fang said.

"But what about the villagers; they need help," Vanille spoke up.

"Maybe we should split up? Fang can stay to defend Oerba with Vanille helping the injured. Sazh, I think you should stay so you won't be separated from Dajh. Me and Serah will go check out the meteor," Hope stated.

"Can do; I'll get Vanille, Sazh, and Dajh to the hospital so I can get to work. I'll round up anyone I can. We'll meet up when we know for sure everything here is settled alright?" Fang said as she grabbed Vanille and Sazh. Sazh had grabbed Dajh and hurriedly followed. Hope and Serah took off for the crater.


	2. Chapter 2

Hope shifted into a sprint for the village boundaries. Serah ran after him. They climbed the steps up to the watch tower and rounded the corner to see that the rest of the steps had been knocked down by the edge of a crater. A shining gold sphere rotated in a cage like container in the middle of the crater.

"What is that?" Serah wondered. A rush of excitement hit Hope and he ran forward. Serah called to him but he didn't stop. He knew that feeling; Lightning was near.

That little piece of her he still had was no longer dormant. He ran towards the strange device in the center of the crater but came to a skidding stop when it began to activate. He stared while Serah caught up to him. She stayed a little ways back while he continued on.

"Something's coming through," Hope observed. An orange shimmer shifted through the air until a portal tore open the sky and a grotesque creature pulled itself a quarter of the way out. Hope jumped back with his Airwing ready to let fly. Serah stood next to him. It looked like this fight would not be avoidable.

Hope released every spell he knew at the creature combined with a few tosses from his boomerang while Serah used any she could remember. Serah was keeping her distance but retreated to the edge of the crater when Hope told her to leave.

"What is this monster? I haven't seen it before," he shouted as he dodged a huge swinging claw.

"I don't know but it obviously doesn't want us to reach that glowing thing," Serah replied from afar. The creature screeched and Hope covered his ears. Serah did the same. While Hope was distracted, it knocked him flying with a wide sweeping blow. Hope was easily thrown to the ground. He growled, letting that small amount of darkness within him fuel his magic. He returned to the battle with magic flying and Airwing cutting through the air. The furious monster pinned Hope down when it got a chance. He strained under the large hand and tried to remove it but it wouldn't budge. Right when Hope was beginning to give in, he felt a jolt of energy buzz through him. He gasped and turned his head to see Lightning in gleaming armor and feathers.

She carried an elegant blade and a small shield. Rushing past him in determination, she launched off the ground and into the air. She came down with a mighty swipe at the monster's hand. The blade cut right through it. It pulled back in pain and Lightning followed. She jumped into a flip that took out the creature's arm and then she went for the face. It made one last roar of defeat and dissolved into a slowly disappearing portal. A bright shard floated towards Lightning, who gently balanced it in her hand. She sheathed her sword and turned to stare at Hope briefly before walking over to him. She easily hauled him to his feet with one hand and held him up until he stood without help. Hope took a hesitant step forward, but right when he was going to say something, Serah bolted over to them.

"Lightning; it's you! I can't believe it's you!" she exclaimed happily. Her eyes shone with unshed tears. Hope dusted himself off with a relieved smile. Lightning placed a comforting hand on Serah's shoulder and offered her a small smile.

"I can't stay long. I don't belong in this time but I came to ask a favor of you and give you something to help you in your travels," she told them. Hope slowly moved forward until he stood next to, but behind Serah. Lightning passed the shard over to Hope who took it just as gently as she did. Then, she turned to address her sister.

"Serah, I want you to look after someone for me. His name is Mog and he will help you through your journey," she explained. At that moment, sparkles swirled in the air and a small white creature popped into reality. It had a large head, small body, round red nose, tiny purple wings, and a crystal bobble atop its head. It wielded some type of staff with a clock on it. Serah looked on in amazement.

"He's a moogle. He can warn you of danger and become your weapon in battle," Lightning informed her. Mog flew through the air and with a shimmer, transformed into an elegant bow. Serah caught it and steadied it in her hands. She never really used a weapon before and never felt comfortable with one but strangely she handled the weapon gracefully.

"It can also be a sword if circumstances require close combat," Lightning said. The bow in Serah's hands shifted until it was now a sword.

"What about Hope?" she questioned. Lightning turned to look at Hope who stepped forward a little too excitedly. Serah looked on quietly and Mog changed to resemble his normal form so he could hover by Serah's shoulder. Lightning walked forward and stopped right in front of Hope. She refrained from any contact and kept her face straight. She couldn't allow any contact between her and Hope until she could properly understand how her enemy operated and then decide if she should take that step. For this reason, she only gave Hope a reassuring smile.

"I'm positive you will be able to accomplish this task Hope. I'll be watching every step of the way but I cannot always help. I'm restricted to stay in Valhalla where I can see everything that happens through time. Valhalla, being a land where there is no time, is very limited," she began. Hope nodded to show he was listening while he stared into her icy blue eyes.

"While I fight in Valhalla I will need you two to fix the timeline. I will explain the whole situation another time and get to what is needed. My time is running out," she stated as she turned away from Hope to stand further back so she could speak to everyone.

"The flow of time has been disrupted. When we defeated Orphan and fell from Cocoon, I wasn't supposed to survive. Orphan's demise took the wraiths with it since it was their creator. I didn't die along with them because the Goddess Etro intervened and saved me. She could not return me to my human state but she managed to keep me alive. However, time fell apart because that was not how it was meant to be. I disappeared to do what Etro saved me to do and that is why things have been a little…confusing. Paradoxes have been causing problems throughout time and it's up to you to put it back in place while I handle another situation. I'm confident you will succeed which is why you were chosen. I can't think of better people for this task then you two," she explained in a manner befitting a captain and her troops.

"But how will we do that?" Serah asked. Lightning looked at her and then walked over to the golden device spinning in its cage.

"This is a gate into the Historia Crux. It will take you to the times that need to be fixed when you obtain the proper artifacts but you must find the problem on your own. The artifact Hope is holding will activate this one. Certain artifacts open certain gates so whenever you find one, hold on to it," she advised. Hope looked at the artifact and then held it more securely. Lightning sighed and glanced up at the sky before facing them again. She studied each one carefully.

"It's time for me to go. I can feel the pull back to Valhalla," she stated with a tired lilt to her voice. Hope rushed forward and stopped in front of her. She watched him warily.

"When will we see you again?" he questioned. She looked away from his familiar green eyes and answered.

"Soon," she replied after a short pause. She turned away and walked toward the gate. They watched as she raised a hand to the it. Tendrils of golden light snaked around her until she began to dissolve out of sight. Her outline was the last to go before she disappeared entirely. Hope let his body sag under suppressed sadness. She came back only to leave again; and without saying a proper goodbye. Serah moved forward to put a hand on his shoulder and then turned to examine the gate.

"So, should we go through now or head back and leave when we're ready?" she wondered.

"Maybe we should let someone know we have to leave so they don't worry," Hope suggested. She sighed and nodded.

"It would keep everyone's mind at ease at least. After all, we don't have to tell them where we're going," she suggested.

"Where **are **you going anyway?" an accented voice questioned. They all spun around to see Fang and Vanille standing at the edge of the crater. Vanille's eyes landed on Mog and they lit up excitedly. She ran down the incline to chase the small moogle. Mog flew as fast as his little wings could carry him.

"What are you two doing here?" Hope questioned them.

"We wanted to make sure you were ok," Vanille replied as she ran.

"Everything in Oerba is secure. Everywhere surrounding it isn't. There are monsters randomly popping up. We have everyone who is capable of fighting on patrol," Fang told them.

"So you have everything handled then right?" Hope questioned. They nodded an answer.

"Maybe it's time to go then?" Hope proposed.

Fang gestured for Vanille to stop and follow her. They walked over to stand in front of Hope and Serah. Mog tiredly flew over to hover next to Serah who let him drop into her arms to rest.

"When are you guys coming back?" Fang asked.

"Whenever we finish what we set out for," Hope answered.

"Don't forget about us unlucky enough to join you," Fang teased. Serah laughed.

"We won't; in fact, we will try and visit," Serah replied. They exchanged goodbyes and told them to let Sazh and Dajh know they left and that they said goodbye.

"Good luck you guys," Fang said on her way out of the crater with a thumbs up over her shoulder so they could see. Vanille waved and then ran to catch up with Fang. When they were out of sight, Hope approached the gate.

"Do you happen to know what to do?" Hope asked her. She shook her head. He shrugged and after a brief moment of contemplation, he simply raised the artifact to the gate. It spun a little faster and accepted the artifact. Both Hope and Serah came forward to see what the gate would do.

"I wonder if I did it right?" Hope wondered out loud when all the gate did was sparkle. They only had to wait a second longer. Before they knew it, the tendril of light that had appeared before snaked out and wrapped warmly over all of them. In a matter of seconds they faded and appeared in a place foreign to all of them.

"Where are we?" Hope asked.

"It's the Historia Crux like Lightning said. This is how we get to the different time eras," Serah answered while she looked around.

"So how do we stop it?" Hope further questioned.

"Maybe we just have to-hey what's that?" Serah commented, pointing at a bright light. They all watched as it grew closer and then sucked them in. When they came back into consciousness they stumbled before getting some balance. They looked around to see they were in a tunnel that led outside. What they saw outside amazed them. Corps soldiers ran every which way shooting at something in the air. On closer inspection, it was a giant arm.

"What is **that** thing?" Serah wondered.

"It looks like an arm but where is the rest of it?" Hope said. The fist flew up suddenly and then came smashing down, aiming for them.


	3. Chapter 3

With quick thinking they dodged the attacking fist in time. Mog shimmered into his weapon form and Serah quickly let loose arrow after arrow. Hope charged up his magic and let them fly along with his boomerang. An air force team flew above them, shouting orders to disable the huge arm and invisible body connecting it. A blast from their cannon, and the arm fell to the ground. Soldiers gathered to block off the area. A lone soldier walked up to them.

"Thank you for that. I thought we were all goners for sure," the soldier commented.

"What was that?" Hope inquired.

"That's Atlas. It's a weapon the ancients built to be summoned during war. We heard of many mishaps here but this is ridiculous," the soldier commented. The other soldiers gathered and then left as a group.

"We'll do what we can to help," Hope told him before taking off after the roving soldiers. Serah followed along with Mog. As Hope walked, he wondered if Lightning was still doing well without him. Hope and Serah moved forward with the group of soldiers. They passed a crowd of people surrounding a highly enthusiastic shop merchant sporting a vibrant colored chocobo costume along the way. She flapped her arms once in a while and her sing song voice asked what was needed. They followed the soldiers through the site and continued up wide steps.

"What's going on here?" Serah asked a nearby soldier who was walking slightly crouched, ready for any attacks. He stopped to address them but continued to keep an eye on his surroundings.

"The Academy uncovered an ancient war machine called Atlas and we are here to help out," the soldier began to explain. Hope and Serah exchanged a questioning expression. The soldier was oblivious to their confusion and continued on.

"It came to life suddenly and attacked. Luckily you two showed up in time. I've gotten intel that that thing is still up and rampaging though. We are on our way over now to try and handle the situation. We just have to travel through some tunnels to reach the area it was reported rampaging. Shouldn't be too hard as long as we don't run into too much trouble along the way," he finished explaining. Just then the commander at the front of the group gave orders to spread out when they reached the top of the stairs.

"Do you think we should stick with the troops or head off on our own? We need to figure out what's wrong in this time anyways," Hope said.

"If the soldiers are spreading out we will probably run into them along the way. With their help I think we can go find Atlas. Maybe that's the cause of the paradox here?" Serah replied. Hope nodded as they continued to follow the path. Unfortunately, a bolt of light touched down directly in their path and monsters materialized. Mog flew into a sudden whirl; ready for a fight.

"Kupo, kupo!" he squeaked out as he pointed to the monsters with his little staff.

Serah looked at Mog before holding her hand out to him. He transformed into her sword.

"Hurry!" Hope shouted as he ran straight at the Cait Sith and Zwerg Scandroid. He threw his boomerang ahead of him and it struck the unsuspecting Zwerg Scandroid. He caught the boomerang and skid to a halt. The monsters' attention was now on them. Hope cast blizzard and fire repeatedly while Serah changed Mog into a bow. She fired off some arrows until they defeated the two monsters. Guns firing made them glance around at soldiers finishing off similar monsters that had appeared. The sound of their guns soon slowed to a stop.

"Thanks Mog!" Serah said to the moogle who now flew beside her.

"Kupo-po!" he replied happily. They continued forward until they came to a tunnel that split off from the road.

"I seriously think we should stay on the path. I don't like the looks of that tunnel," Serah commented. Mog agreed with a nod. Hope took her suggestion to heart and they continued down the path. They occasionally came across soldiers just as Serah said but they also had to fight the monsters that appeared. The soldiers helped out when they were around but Serah and Hope found they could escape some battles all together with the help of Mog's strange clock atop the staff he carried. They had just defeated a group of monsters and turned the corner to see the giant that was Atlas. It stood, towering over everything around them. Its foot alone was almost as tall as them. Hope's gaze drifted past the giant and up into the sky, or what was presumed was the sky. He saw beyond and gasped, tugging on Serah and then pointing when he got her attention.

"Is that Pulse?" she asked skeptically.

"Yeah, which means we're back on Cocoon," Hope realized. Serah nodded.

"Where, though?" Hope wondered as he returned to focusing on the task at hand.

"Bresha Ruins," a nearby man in white told them. He wore a jacket and slacks that were both white and a blue tie complimented his smart attire. He wore small but formal glasses. He gave off the impression of a scholar or scientist.

"Bresha Ruins? But-" Hope began but Serah cut him off.

"What's the date?" Serah questioned. The man gave them an incredulous stare before answering anyways.

"005 AF," he replied.

"What does AF stand for?" Hope questioned.

"After the Fall of course," he said with some irritation. They thanked him and took a seat in the grass by a barred off passageway.

"That must mean after we defeated Orphan," Hope said. Serah gave him a thoughtful look.

"Wow, two years after we left Oerba. We just jumped two years into the future and ended up back on Cocoon," Serah said.

"I wonder who that guy was. I'm guessing he's from The Academy, whatever that is. He was dressed like he was important but he's pretty much a snob don't you think? I hope **I** never end up in a position like that," Hope said with a disgusted frown. Serah laughed behind her hand. They rested a while before going forward.

"Come on. We need to figure out how to fight that thing," Hope said as he stood and began walking.

"Maybe we should ask around? That guy and the others I saw seem to be scholars or scientists if they are here to study Atlas. Who knows, maybe they found something useful?" Serah suggested, standing to walk next to him. Hope nodded and together they began questioning everyone and anyone willing to talk. They finally had a lead after running around and reluctantly entering the tunnels infested with monsters. So now, they headed for the tunnel that would take them to a mysterious device that the researchers believed was connected with Atlas' awakening. On their way through the tunnel, a wormhole opened and Atlas' hand reached in. Hope was about the attack but it already had a hold of them. It retreated, dragging them along too. It pulled them into the paradox.

"Where is it taking us?" Serah called out.

"I don't know," Hope replied. They reached a light and then woke up dazed and confused in a dark void. They stood and took a look around. They were surrounded by nothing but red tiles under their feet. Hope looked for Serah and found her on a tile separated from him. The tile he stood on led to others. Crystals littered the tiles along the way while at the end was a gate that would, hopefully, take them out of there.

"What am I supposed to do?" Hope asked with a hint of worry.

"Get to the gate and collect all the crystals, kupo," a small, wise, but gentle voice answered. Serah gasped.

"He talks too!" she exclaimed.

"Of course I do," the moogle responded.

"Well isn't that something," Hope mumbled, too preoccupied by the puzzle to fully pay attention. He took a step forward and the tile beneath him began to wobble.

"Whoa!" he cried out and ran for his life.

"Hope!" Serah called to him frantically. As Hope ran he soon realized that he had cut himself off from further tiles and that the tile below him was close to falling. When it finally gave way, he tried to reach out and catch himself but he fell through and into the void beneath…only to warp back to the front of the puzzle like nothing happened.

"What the heck?" he said in confusion. Serah stared at him with wide eyes.

"We're stuck here until you finish the puzzle, kupo," Mog stated sagely.

"Well it's better than dying," Hope said as he clutched at his wildly beating heart. He thought he was going to die for sure. He assessed the puzzle critically before moving this time. He reached the gate and it automatically activated, taking them all back to the Bresha Ruins. When they landed on solid ground they relaxed.

"I wonder how many times we'll have to do that," Serah said.

"I don't know but you're doing it next time," Hope huffed out as he bent over to rest his hands on his thighs. He was still slightly worked up. When Hope was calmer they continued on down the tunnel. Upon arriving, a man filled them in on his notes concerning the strange device.

"You don't know what it does?" Hope questioned. The man shook his head. He looked back at the floating blue gems hovering over the pedestal and then stepped forward with a raised arm.

"Careful Hope," Serah warned as she stepped towards him. Right when his finger touched the middle gem, it lit up. A rumble was heard outside and the ground shook under them. They shared a shocked expression. The shaking lasted a few seconds more before stopping.

"Do you think that weakened Atlas?" Serah said.

"There's only one way to find out," Hope replied. Together they left the tunnels to confront Atlas. When they reached the unhappy giant, they paused. It was now crouching down like it was hurt or tired.

"We can do this," Hope reassured her.

"Right," she said with a determined nod. Mog transformed and Hope armed himself. They rushed forward and into battle. Atlas proved stubborn and his fists almost crushed them more than once if it wasn't for Hope's quick reflexes. The giant had thrown a slab of stone at them that they quickly dodged, only to find themselves teleported on Atlas' shoulders. A bright crystal on its head caught their attention. They nodded in understanding and let loose their attacks. Atlas fell to its knees, supporting itself on its hands. Serah and Hope took the opportunity to run down its arms. Right when they jumped off its hands, it shimmered and then disappeared. Hope proudly put away his Airwing while Mog changed back into his own form, twirling happily. An artifact slowly floated down where Atlas stood and Hope caught it. Serah panted next to him in a mix of adrenaline, fatigue, and fear. He patted her back and smiled.

"Thanks to Light I can pretty much put up with most battles. By the time we figure all this out I'm sure you will too," he said. She stood up and returned the smile. The soldiers swarmed them with gratitude and then accompanied them back to the gate.

"If you happen to swing by here again, we would be glad for the help," the commander stated. Hope nodded and raised a hand in farewell. Serah waved and together they returned to the gate. It accepted the artifact Hope presented and once again, they were swept back into the Historia Crux and on to their new location.


	4. Chapter 4

Lightning stood on the balcony of a tall but pristine building. Her hands rested on the stone in front of her as she gazed out at the roiling but smooth sea. A flash of purple light caught her attention and her hands gripped the rail. The stone cracked slightly in her grasp; the small sound made her release it. She knew the spike of power in the distance was her enemy, Caius Ballad. He was currently causing trouble for the universe. She had faced him before but he had escaped. Now, she hoped their confrontation would be different. She sighed and unsheathed the mighty gunblade at her side. Feathers flew around her as she leaped into the air and called for Odin.

She landed perfectly on his back and together they galloped in the direction of the purple haired man. Monsters called on by Lightning flew in the sky and ran over the ground, trying in every way to hold back the rift beasts and Cie'th that Caius had summoned. She urged Odin faster and once they reached the floating pieces of earth, Odin leaped high and landed on one closest to the ground. Lightning easily batted away some of the small monstrosities and leaped through the air once more, but as she descended to the next rock, a massive dragon crashed into her and Odin.

She was knocked from his back but Odin transformed and landed on the closest rock, swiftly catching Lightning and setting her on her feet. She nodded her thanks and the being's response was to raise his double edged sword to her. She put away her weapon to grasp the proffered one. As soon as she had it, he returned to his earlier form and she hopped on. They continued to outrun the massive dragon tailing them but were attacked again. Odin launched Lightning into the air before he was knocked all the way down, crashing into rocks as he went. Lightning felt him disappear due to the extensive damage done.

She swung angrily at the beast that attacked them, only for it to deflect her blow and knock her out of the sky. She lost hold of Odin's weapon and it disappeared to join its owner. She pulled out her gunblade and stuck it into the nearest rock. She used the momentum to swing herself back into the air, executing a flip, and landing on the large rock. Chaos Bahamut flew down towards the rock she stood on and transformed midflight into Caius who landed swiftly. She glared at him silently, waiting for him to make a move, but instead he smirked.

"I wouldn't expect anything less from a warrior of Etro," he commented. Lightning only raised her gunblade.

"Enough talking Caius," she growled. He laughed and drew his jagged black blade. The eye at the hilt began to glow.

"I have a feeling you have more up your sleeve than a few monsters, eidolons, and acrobatic tricks. What are you hiding from me warrior?" he taunted with a suspicious narrowing of his eyes. He scrutinized her critically.

"Wouldn't you want to know?" she responded before leaping forward and lashing out. Caius blocked just as quick. He pushed her away and then followed her retreat so that she couldn't get another hit in. She dodged his swing and then flipped out of the way of a low swipe. She landed and he was after her again. A swift and lethal parry of blows was exchanged before both jumped back and began to circle each other. Caius raised his blade and it quickly became incased in a purple aura. He slammed the weapon down forcefully. A wave flew out, tearing the ground apart as it went. Lightning jumped to a smaller rock formation to avoid the attack. The rock split and began to crumble. Caius calmly relocated. She glared at him before making her way across the rocks to attack.

He met her halfway. His sudden jump towards her made her have to rethink her current move. She shifted and caught hold of a different rock formation at the last minute. She began to climb, but stopped when energy buzzed behind her. Without thinking she let go and fell through the air, seeing bits of rock fly in different directions from her last location. She threw up her shield in time to deflect Caius next attack. They continued to fall as they fought until there weapons clashed and held, both pushing against the other, baring teeth from anger or exertion. Lightning allowed that small other part of her to lend her strength. With a mighty heave, she threw Caius back and he crashed into a rock. Lightning righted herself and aimed for a rock to land on but a huge claw tore her out of the air at the last minute.

She too collided with a rock. It shattered on impact as she was forced through it to land on a bigger rock. She laid there on her back before taking a breath and getting back up. The middle of her armor was neatly torn were there was no metal plates to protect her and the plates themselves now held deep grooves, disrupting the otherwise smooth and shiny metal. Chaos Bahamut swooped down again but Lightning jumped out of the way. As she landed, Caius had transformed back to land and then knocked her off her feet with a solid punch to her jaw followed by a quick twist of her arm that sent her crashing to the ground from a throw. He brought down the blade at her face. She held out her own blade just in time to block. Caius pressed down and Lightning struggled to hold off the extra pressure. His eyes found hers and his eyebrow rose curiously.

"Something wrong?" she taunted, trying to upset him enough that he would lose his focus. However, he smiled and pressed down harder. She bared her teeth and growled out an exasperated grunt.

"Seems you have just as much problems as me. I can see why you were chosen. You may just be my match," he commented as his eyes locked on to hers. He briefly glanced at her mouth before returning back to her eyes. Lightning knew what happened for him to be so interested. She felt the change as her aggravation mounted. She pushed back suddenly, throwing Caius off balance. She shot to her feet and struck at him, barely nicking his cheek when he jumped out of her way. He stood back from her, studying her movements. She was on her feet now but her head was swimming, making it difficult for her to stand. The sudden appearance of the more powerful side of her made her unstable. She lacked what was required to have it remain present. She stumbled once before recovering; her focus remained locked on Caius.

"Having trouble?" he questioned, striking his blade down and leaning on it casually. She ignored him and dashed forward. He deflected her blow and the ones to follow; countering with a few of his own which Lightning sidestepped. He dodged her current attack and spun away, launching off the rock, and became Chaos Bahamut once more. Lightning turned at the bellowing roar. Chaos Bahamut swept across the rock and Lightning hurried to get out of its way but it had other plans. Its claws grabbed hold of her arm and threw her into the air. She tried to right herself but by then it had knocked her back down. She hit the rock and skidded to a stop. Caius landed and then continued forward without a break in his movements. She picked herself up and knocked Caius back before he could get to her.

He drove forward again and this time he caught her between the armor on her arm. She disregarded the pain and jumped back, only to crash into Chaos Bahamut who was right behind her. She glanced back to where Caius just was to see him gone and wondered how he was far quicker than her. Her thoughts were cut off when the beast struck and smacked her out of the way. She staggered back and regained her balance only for Caius to transform back and attack. His blade shot forward and impaled her through her midsection. She felt the jagged blade tear up her body and tensed when the pain became unbearable. Her hands tried desperately to free her body of the blade but she was too weak, not even the darkness within could save her.

The iron taste of blood filled her mouth then continued to drip out and down the side of her chin. Caius pulled back swiftly, and let her body fall to the ground. She hit the ground and rolled on her side to stay off the wound. She couldn't pick herself up. She wasn't healing nearly as fast as she needed to. She gasped when Caius kicked her shoulder so that she fell on her back harshly. Her right hand reached for her dropped gunblade while the other held her injury. When she had a hold of the weapon and was about to pick it up, Caius' foot stomped onto the blade, halting her progress. She couldn't remove the blade from under his foot and the handle kept her hand pinned under it. She looked up at him as he put his blade away and crouched down to her pitiful form.

"Caius, don't-" she was cut off as her body shook. He only watched her struggle.

"I have to. There is no other way," he replied simply. A dark portal began opening up under her.

"Farewell Warrior of Etro," he stated. She saw his expression of somber victory and then she was falling into a void. She only hoped she would live long enough to make it back to the ones she cared about.

* * *

Hope and Serah exited the Historia Crux and found themselves in a dark and rocky surrounding. Hope cautiously stepped forward and Serah followed close behind him. Hope didn't like the way the darkness pressed on him.

"Where are we now?" Serah asked. He only shook his head and approached a solitary lamp post.

"Why is it so dark?" he wondered aloud. They stood in the light a while longer before they spotted a path and started down it. They kept a steady pace and stayed close to eat other. When a light flashed and Mog suddenly went on the alert, they tensed and turned to see a Behemoth snarling down at them.

"Run!" Hope commanded as they took off.

"Why can't we just fight?" Serah panted as she tried to keep up.

"No, it has the upper hand. If I've learned anything from Light, it's that you don't run head on into a fight with a Behemoth. It will most likely win. We would need a game plan first but for now we run," Hope replied with heavy breathes. They passed through a roving spotlight and the beast chasing them skid to a halt. They stopped in the wide beam of the search light and looked back at the irritated creature. It looked straight at them but refused to go into the light.

"Is it afraid of the light?" Serah suggested.

"I think it is," Hope replied. The spot light began to move so Serah and Hope scurried to stay in the beam. They passed through each light and found themselves sharing a light with the same peppy chocobo merchant they had seen in the Bresha Ruins.

"Hello! I'm Chocolina! I have almost every item, accessory, and weapon your heart could ever desire! Mind if you take a quick peek?" she offered. Hope gave her a strange look but Serah smiled.

"Umm, is there some kind of settlement around here? We aren't in the middle of nowhere are we?" Hope questioned. She flapped her arms like wings.

"The encampment down this road is all the settlement you could need! Those researchers sure are smart! Stop by soon!" she replied. Hope nodded absentmindedly while Serah thanked her.

"Ok, we have to make a run for it. Do you see that lamp post over there?" he addressed Serah. She nodded.

"Here we go. Mog, stay close, we need you," he said.

"Kupo, kupo!" the moogle replied as he flew closer to them. They ran for the next lamp post without stopping, caught their breath, and then ran to the next one, repeating this until they could spot a bright encampment ahead.

"Almost there," Serah said, pointing. Hope nodded.

"Yeah, but look at the space between us and them," he replied uncertainly. It was a fairly big space with no light. They exchanged a determined glance before sprinting to the bright lights. Nothing caught up to them fortunately.

"Yeah, we made it Hope!" Serah exclaimed. He laughed and took long easy strides forward but halted when a portal ripped open not very far away. A claw gripped the edge.

"Oh no," he groaned. A monster like the one they encountered in Oerba emerged but it looked slightly different in color.

"These rift monsters are starting to be a pain in my-" he began but the beast cut off his words with a roar.

"Let's do this!" Hope exclaimed. Mog transformed into a sword as they stood their ground. They both chose the role of Ravager to try and stagger the creature as quick as possible. It worked, and in no time they both switched to Commando to finish the creature off. Their only problem was the status ailments it often cast on them, but Hope swiftly healed them before any major damage could befall them. He would not fail this time around. When the creature disappeared, they let their guard down with a sigh and turned to get a look at the encampment.


	5. Chapter 5

They headed into camp, chatting with the various Academy members on site to find who was in charge. Hope walked along, thinking of Lightning and listening to the various reactions people had of Mog. They found a familiar face in the process. He stood at the top of a ramp, taking notes and tinkering with a device at his side.

"Lieutenant Amodar, is that you?" Serah asked in utter astonishment. The man turned at her voice; his face lighting up in a genial smile.

"Serah Farron, it's nice seeing you again," he said as he stepped over to them. Serah shook his hand and introduced him to Hope.

"Hope, this is Lt. Amodar. He fought with Lightning when she was in the Guardian Corps," she said. Hope held out a hand and they shook.

"So, Hope is it? What brings you two here? I swear Serah you haven't aged a day," he told her.

"Well, if we told you, you may not believe us sir," Hope said.

"Try me. Ever since your sister ran off half-cocked with my troops to find you, things haven't been the same and it just got weirder and weirder," he told them.

"How so?" Serah asked.

"Well, after Lightning insisted that she go out and find you, I was left to keep the other half of my force in line. We did what we had to in those times. When everything started falling into chaos on Cocoon I was in shock. Of course I jumped ship, thinking the damn thing was going to fall out of the sky but it just turned to crystal. People still died but I think it would have been worse had it fallen. Anyways, I had no way of going back at the moment so I wandered until I found a place among these fine folk. The Guardian Corps has helped the Academy more than once and I was happy to help. On one of my treks I came across this thing," he explained as he pointed to the device next to him.

"Those guys went crazy over it, you know? I don't mind them studying it but I wanted to be close by when they did. Apparently this thing can show the prophecies of the seers who used to live in these parts," he said.

"And where are these parts?" Hope questioned.

"The Yaschas Massif," Amodar replied.

"What year?" Serah said.

"010 AF, why?" he responded.

"It goes back to what we want to tell you," Hope answered. Amodar nodded thoughtfully.

"Well it can't be weirder than what the machine showed me I guess. It's the reason I can't let it leave my sight," he said.

"What did you see?" Serah questioned with mild curiosity. Amodar sighed and frowned sadly at her.

"I saw a blurry vision of two people fighting. I think one was Lightning," he replied.

"Why would it show my sister?" Serah wondered.

"I don't know but that's not all. In all my years fighting with Sergeant Farron, she has never backed down or lost a fight. She was beaten pretty badly here though," he said with downcast eyes.

"What! How do you know it's her if the picture is blurry?" Hope demanded. Amodar rubbed the back of his neck and fixed Hope with a solemn stare. Then he turned to the device and began pushing buttons.

"This thing is called an Oracle Drive. It will show you everything," he told them in a monotone. The Oracle Drive came to life and projected a picture on the back of the tent. Hope and Serah watched in amazement but were quickly drawn to what was shown. It was definitely Lightning. Her armor gave her away even if they couldn't really see her face. A stern looking man in a full body suit fought her. He was winning. They watched as he knocked her out of the air. She fell heavily and when he landed he wasted no time striking at her.

The man suddenly disappeared while she tried to back away and bumped into a big mass that was hard to distinguish. It lashed at her and she stumbled back towards the now present man. His movements were so swift they almost missed how Lightning ended up on the man's blade. Tears poured from Serah's eyes and her hands were clenched as tightly as they could go. She was glad she couldn't see the picture in detail. They watched as the man let Lightning fall to the floor. The picture blurred out completely after that. Amodar turned it off. Hope moved to put an arm around Serah, trying to comfort her.

"Lightning…" she whimpered out.

"Is she ok? Has it shown you anything else? When will that happen?" Hope interrogated in a wavering voice. He was trying to stay strong for Serah even though it upset him just as much. Amodar shook his head.

"That's all it shows. I don't know anything else," he replied quietly. Hope patted Serah's back mechanically. Amodar cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," he apologized. Hope waved it away.

"I wonder when in time that happened? You see, we came from the past to fix the paradoxes that have altered time. Is there anything here that has been amiss?" Hope asked, trying to change the subject.

"Not really," he replied.

"Did you happen to find anything out of the ordinary? Anything at all?" he persisted. Amodar's eyes lit with realization before he hurried to a box under the table. He pulled it out and rummaged in it. Then he came back with an artifact.

"I found this thing a while back. Maybe you two will have a use for it. Heck, maybe it will take you to Lightning," he offered, holding out the object. Hope took it and thanked him.

"We'll see you around Lt. Amodar," Hope said. Serah nodded, whipping tears from her eyes. The man nodded back.

"There's a gate straight down south. Be safe and take care," he replied. They left and carefully made their way to the gate Amodar had told them about. Serah had long since put her sadness away to stay on alert but Hope could tell it was eating her alive. He presented the artifact to the gate and off they went to another time and place. They arrived in a desolate white landscape that Hope immediately recognized.

"It's Oerba…but where are the people?" Hope commented as he walked around. His familiar home was deserted and decaying.

"It must be some many years into the future. After all, Cocoon has stayed standing, maybe they all went back and anyone who stayed died off," Serah guessed. Hope stopped mid step and gasped.

"Half the village is gone!" he exclaimed. Serah looked ahead and saw how the very fabric of reality looked torn and what lay beyond looked like the place they had ended up in when they weakened Atlas.

"Temporal Rifts have affected this place greatly, kupo. The paradoxes have almost destroyed it, kupo," Mog spoke up.

"What can we do?" Serah asked the moogle.

"We must enter them and solve the puzzle as before, kupo," Mog replied. They set off towards the first one they spotted and got started. However, this puzzle was unlike the last. This time, Mog was ready to explain. Hope was again separated from Serah and he didn't like it.

"Connect the crystals to move forward, kupo. Be careful, you must go quick, kupo. The crystals change colors and when you connect them they must be matching, kupo," Mog advised. Hope nodded and took a step. When he felt safe enough to continue, he strode forward. Crystals shimmered into view at his feet. He reached out and a ribbon of light came out to meet his hand. He directed it towards a crystal of the same color and the ribbon of light connected. He felt good about this puzzle until the colors began to shift faster. Right when he thought he had it, the crystals lost all connection and he had to start again.

"Am I on a timer or something?" Hope wondered to himself with irritation. When he finally fully connected the crystals they were able to get out.

"Serah, you are definitely doing the next one," he told her. She nodded and hid a smile. There were certain things Hope did or said that reminded her of her sister. She supposed he picked it up from Lightning. They fought off the monsters and found two more Temporal Rifts to fix; then sat down on the wide steps by the water's edge. Hope occasionally glanced at the sad, broken, tower that was his home. And Lightning's of course, he added as an afterthought. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"What do you think's in that building? Back home, it was used for the school. Do you think it still has anything of value?" Hope said as he turned to Serah. She tilted her head thoughtfully and then shrugged.

"Maybe, it's worth a look don't you think?" she replied. He nodded and stood, dusting his pants off. They set off for the building but when they got there it was empty. They climbed up the stairs and walked along the roof. Hope's eyes caught sight of something unusual.

"Hey Serah, what's that?" he said as he pointed it out. They jogged over to get a closer look. They both gasped when they saw what the object resembled.

"It sort of looks like the Oracle Drive, doesn't it?" Serah voiced the thought out loud. Hope nodded and began reaching out for it but he stopped. Mog began to get anxious. Hope and Serah spun around to see a purple haired man in a black body suit.

"You have changed the future too much for my liking. You have upset the natural balance, and for that, I must defeat you," he said in a voice full of strength but lacked emotion.

"Why should we listen to you?" Hope retorted angrily. He recognized the man as the one who fought Lightning in the prophecy. The problem was, had they already fought or was it yet to come?

"You should listen unless you want me to dispose of this," he said as he stepped aside. Lying on her side, broken, lifeless, and defeated, was a pale Lightning. Serah let out a strangled sob and Hope's fury increased tenfold. He called out to her with their bond but he received no reaction. That small part of her attached to him could not connect. It was the reason he could not sense her before. He returned his angered gaze to Caius and hoped she wasn't dead.


	6. Chapter 6

Caius stepped out of Hope's way as he ran forward with his Airwing drawn and his hand sparking with little arcs of electricity. Serah followed close behind him. She carried Mog in weapon form, cautiously watching Caius as Hope knelt by Lightning and tried to wake her up. Her body was thrashed and markings of all types littered her armor. The blood around her middle made him shudder. He tried waking her up verbally and mentally but all he got in return was a small, pained, groan. Her fingers briefly pulled into a fist before relaxing again. He sighed, a little uplifted that she still had time.

"I'm touched by your little reunion but its time you follow her same fate. As I've said before, you have tampered with time and must be stopped," he stated, arming himself with the huge jagged sword Hope had seen in the prophecy; the same one that tore into Lightning with such ease. The Oracle Drive had told the future just as it was designed to do. Amodar had seen this happening back when everyone was settling on Pulse. He wondered what the Lieutenant must have thought upon seeing it.

"I'll kill you for this," Hope said with gritted teeth. Serah glanced at him worriedly before taking up an offensive position next to him.

"You can try but I will not lose," he responded steadily. Hope scowled.

"Now, let's see how you fair against me shall we?" he said to them. His face remained serious as he lifted his blade. With Serah and Hope equally affected by Lightning's state of health, they easily knocked Caius into a stagger. He used spells to buffer his attacks but it did no good. Anger and pure hate won over the two. Caius backed down with a smirk.

"You are better than I thought; you especially boy. I can see it in you, waiting to take control. You may be light embodiment but there's a shadow taking refuge in your soul," he said, leaning on his blade.

"I know what it is and it deserves a place with me. Don't try to tell me otherwise," Hope responded bitingly. He knew what Caius meant. The dark part of Lightning's soul that had bonded with him. He could feel it come alive and strengthen like never before. A pressure slowly built up in his chest until it became uncomfortable. From there, it escalated into pain. He cried out and clutched at his chest. The markings over his heart burned. He fell to his knees, gaining both Serah and Caius's attention. The difference being, Caius looked on in reserved anticipation and interest while Serah kneeled next to Hope with worry. Hope dropped the Airwing and fell forward on his hands and knees.

"What did you do Lightning?" he grunted out as he glanced at her still, silent, form. He screamed suddenly as a black wisp began to form around his heart. Serah tried talking to him but he kept telling her to stay away. He pushed at her hands and finally struggled to his feet to distance himself.

"Is this what you feel every time Light?" he whispered, his breathing becoming labored. A severe pain wracked his head and he held it between his hands. He felt his teeth shift and finally realized what was happening, but how could it happen to him? He wasn't infected.

"This should be interesting," Caius said as he shouldered his blade and prepared to leave. He took a step but immediately halted when Hope called to him. His voice was off but he knew it was him.

"Get back here and fight you coward," he shot at the man. Caius turned and fixed his eyes on Hope. His irises were now a shocking yellow. His bared teeth were sharp. The boomerang still lied upon the floor untouched but Hope did not need it. Claws of shadows writhed up his arms. Serah had moved to crouch on the other side of Lightning. She was gaping at Hope. Caius sneered and turned back around unconcerned.

"I'm done here," he stated. A growl rumbled from Hope. He wouldn't take no for an answer. He bolted forward and swiped at Caius who knocked the claw away. His blade was already pointed at the newly changed Hope. They stared each other down before they both advanced to attack. A grand blade met invincible shadow time and time again. Hope slipped past Caius defenses and managed to punch him with an uppercut. Caius landed a hit on Hope's leg as he jumped back but the shadows actively began to heal him.

"Stay back and I won't kill you," Caius threatened. Hope laughed, unperturbed by the threat. Caius slammed his blade into the ground and a wave rose to take out the dark induced Hope. He launched himself into the air, high enough to avoid the blast and landed right in front of Caius who was too late to block. Hope's claw dug into his suit. The material melted like butter as the attack tore through but unfortunately did not meet flesh. Caius jumped back in time, a heated glare vivid on his face.

"We'll see who kills who. For now, I will depart," Caius stated. He stepped back and disappeared into a portal. As soon as he was gone, Hope wobbled on his feet, the shadows disappearing, before collapsing on the ground. His surroundings were out of focus and it took him some time to gather his thoughts and memories.

"Light?" he asked.

"She's fine so far," Serah answered.

"I think that came from her," Hope gasped. She fell silent before answering.

"I think it did. She used your connection and channeled the wraith through to you; to defend us. She saved us even when she's out cold," Serah said with a watery smile. Hope grunted as he picked himself up.

"Let's try and get her into the watch tower. It's the only place I know we will be safe," Hope told Serah. It was slow going and both were exhausted but they worked diligently to get her to safety. As they moved Lightning, Serah had to distract herself.

The wounds she endured where being torn open from all the movement even when they tried to be careful. Fresh blood welled up and Serah thought she was going to be sick. They finally reached the tower which was just an empty run down space. They set her down then both took a quick rest. After words, they began trying to tend to her injuries the only way they knew how without casting Cure. They worked in silence, needing no reason to talk. Once they thought there was nothing else to make Lightning comfortable, they each curled up next to her to rest.

* * *

Lightning woke up to a silent room. With a little examination she realized it was the watch tower in Oerba. It had to be many years into the future by the looks of it. No one had been there for years. She sighed and pushed off the ground, wincing when her half healed injury made itself known. Hope and Serah were surrounding her on both sides, Mog leaning against Serah. She smiled, grateful that they cared so much for her health and safety. She looked at Hope for a moment before reaching out to brush his hair out of his face. Her Hope… without their bond she didn't know what could have happened to them, but her plan worked. They proved to Caius they were a threat to him and that was enough for now.

She felt less vulnerable with Serah and Hope present. A quick study of her armor told her she must have taken a worse beating than she thought. Her shield was gone. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation. At that moment she had tried reconnecting with Valhalla but she couldn't. Caius must have messed with that too. If she couldn't return…she didn't want to think about the possibilities. She turned back to look at the two most important people in her life. She may be stuck outside Valhalla for a long time so she may as well make the most of it. She decided to help Serah and Hope on their journey to repair the time paradoxes. That's all she could do anyways.

She crouched next to Serah and reached out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear before turning to look at Hope. The kid she remembered when they first met was now a strong young man. She went to touch his cheek but hesitated and then pulled away. She sighed heavily, stood up, and walked to the door. She had to try one last time to reach Valhalla before she had to call it a lost cause. She couldn't open a gate herself so she left to find an already opened gate. She found one back in the main part of the village. It began to activate when she held her hand out and she grinned. The feeling of relief was swiftly crushed when the gate ground to a halt. She stiffened suddenly and looked back to see Hope staring at her. He had an unreadable expression on his face.

"Leaving without a good bye again?" he said quietly.

"I was going to," she replied.

"Look Light, I want to help but I have to know why you insist that we can't at least…why I can't…" he tried to say but his sentence fell flat. Instead of words, he walked up to her and held her face in his hands without hesitation. Lightning felt that all too familiar spark and saw that he felt it too when his eyes brightened.

"Why do you push me away?" he asked. She wanted to give in to that look but she pulled away.

"When I first went up against Caius I didn't know the extent of his power and he didn't know mine so I wanted to keep it that way. Except, I realized he can wield a type of darkness too. I had to keep you at a distance so that I could continue to hide that other part of me; I was afraid he would be able to get a hold of me. My temper may have given me away. He knows what I can do now but…" she began.

"But what?" he asked expectantly.

"I don't want it to get out of hand. My job is to stop Caius but I don't want to be lead astray. He knows how to influence lost souls like the C'ieth. I'm not one of them but when I change I'm lost enough to be tempted into something that would not be helpful to us. When I'm like that, I don't think straight like I'm supposed to. When I make a decision, I want it so much I would do anything and no one would stop me. On top of the threat Caius poses I might hurt you or Serah," she told him. He took her hand softly in his and nodded.

"Yeah I understand your point of view Light but no matter what you choose I'm going to help you. I will always be there for you even if it puts me in danger," he said.

"That's a very high risk. Don't be a fool like Snow. No one wants a hero, especially me," she replied. Hope allowed a small smile. He found her endearing even when she was serious. He stepped closer and gently tugged her into him so that they were centimeters apart. She scrutinized him silently while he studied her.

"Caius is winning Hope. We need to fix the timeline as fast as possible. Now that I'm stuck here for who knows how long, I'll help you in any way I can. That's the best I can do for now," she told him, turning away to return to the watch tower. Hope watched her put distance between them again before following. He wasn't going to give up.


	7. Chapter 7

**I see the site has gained some differences since the last time I was on. I like it but wonder how it will work out. Anyways, this chapter is a little on the uninteresting side of what will really take place later but here it is.**

* * *

Hope leaned on the wall of the room back in the watch tower, silently tracing her every step as she paced, and waited for her to pick up the conversation, but a thought occurred to him that he had to voice out loud. Risking her wrath for interrupting her thoughts, he got her attention.

"Light, I thought being away from Valhalla will…won't something happen?" he asked nervously. She sighed and stopped to look at him over her shoulder. He waited for a reply but she didn't say anything. Hope caught on to the meaning of her silence.

"We have to get you back," Hope said.

"Caius planned this. He wants me out of the way but I won't stand down that easily. If I help you two restore the timeline, I might be able to open a gate back into Valhalla before my time runs out," she explained. Hope nodded in understanding.

"Hey, about earlier, how did you do that?" he questioned curiously.

"I used our connection. I didn't think it would work, but I was desperate to get to you in time. My body wasn't getting up anytime soon so I hoped I could send you some power," she replied.

"I noticed how weak it was. I mean, it's definitely stronger than me but its weakening. It's so much a part of you that the thought of it losing power scares me. You need to let it get stronger," Hope stated sternly. His eyes pinned her down determinedly and she smiled.

"I forgot how much you've taken charge kid," she teased as she began pacing once more.

"I had to keep Serah safe," he responded, as if that was the answer. He always wanted to be a stronger person for Lightning.

"Well, you're doing a good job," she replied, glancing at her little sister, still curled up and fast asleep. Hope walked up to her and took her hand in his hesitantly. She turned her icy blue eyes on him, a silent question in her stare.

"I missed you Claire. For a while I really thought you were gone but now you're here," he said quietly.

"I missed you too Hope," she replied with a small smile. He returned it and gave her hand a squeeze. She glanced down at their joined hands, enjoying the way her very soul reacted to his. She pulled him closer to her so that they were inches apart once more. His free hand found her waist and she placed hers on his chest. His height now made him a little taller than her so she had to look up slightly. They leaned in almost at the same time but a loud yawn shattered the moment. Lightning dropped her arms and so did Hope. She turned away to kneel at Serah's side while Hope watched her longingly.

"Hey you, are you ready to get going?" Lightning questioned her sister. Serah glanced up at her older sister sleepily but nodded. When Serah was more awake, they left the building and headed for the nearest gate. As they walked, Hope and Serah filled Lightning in on everything they had done. She already knew but they needed something to pass the time. Hope was grateful for the conversation because he was sure he might pester Lightning about her health and no one wanted an irritated Lightning. They entered the Historia Crux when they reached the gate and found themselves back in Yachas Massif.

"Why are we here again?" Serah questioned as she circled the area. Mog followed her in lazy circles.

"It's bright out now. Did we change something?" Hope noted.

"You fixed the time anomalies in Oerba didn't you?" Lightning commented. They both nodded.

"You fixed the paradox here by changing time. The eclipse is gone," she stated.

"Let's go talk with Lt. Amodar again and see what's new," Hope told Serah. They ran off but Hope stopped when Lightning didn't move.

"Are you ok?" he asked quietly.

"Amodar…I'll stay here. You go ahead and let me know what you find," she told him. He opened his mouth to reply but thought better and just nodded. He ran to catch up with Serah. They walked into the encampment with nothing new striking their interest.

"We're back Amodar," Hope said when they came up the ramp to stand in front of said Lieutenant. Amodar looked at them questioningly before Hope realized his assumption and began explaining everything all over again.

"You said you had seen this before but blurry am I correct? Well, you should see it now. The picture is clear," he said as he fiddled with the machine. The projection replayed what they had made out to be Lightning fighting, but this time it was clear and added the collapse of Cocoon.

"Caius, he's probably behind all of this," Hope seethed, his fists tightening.

"I don't know when that bit with Cocoon will happen but I do hope that wherever Lightning is, she got out of that alive," Amodar said with a sigh. Hope looked at Serah questioningly and she nodded.

"She's ok Amodar. We met her on our travels. That had already happened and she survived," Serah told him.

"Really? I knew she was tough but boy she never gives up," he commented in awe.

"Yeah, that's Lightning," Hope agreed.

"There's light here now. I guess that's good," Serah said.

"Huh? When did we not?" Amodar questioned, mildly curious.

"Oh, that's right. You wouldn't know the difference. I forgot," she amended.

"That's ok. If you get a chance, tell your sister good luck for me," he said.

"We will. See you later Amodar," Serah said.

"See you," he replied. They made their way out of the encampment and back to the gate. Lightning was leaning on the rocky wall silently with her eyes closed when they returned. Hope thought back to the time they first arrived in Oerba and Sazh had said she looked like a statue. That still held true but now she looked like a statue made to honor a knight. He smiled and walked over to her. She pushed off the rock when she heard them coming and stood waiting for them.

"The only difference here is the restored light and the Oracle Drive showing your battle in clarity along with the fall of Cocoon. Didn't we already stop that?" Hope relayed to her.

"He's planning something. I've found an artifact and I already searched out the gate. I don't want to waste time explaining so are we ready to go?" she responded. She held out the artifact and Hope took it.

"You didn't want to do the honors?" he teased.

"I can't interact with the gates at all," she replied stoically as she began to lead them.

"Oh, to keep you from getting to Valhalla right?" he replied. She didn't answer.

"By the way, he told me to tell you he said good luck," Hope continued. She remained quiet but a small upturn to her lips made him feel better. When they got to the required gate Hope offered the artifact and it began to glow.

"Where do you think we will end up next?" Serah wondered.

"We will soon find out," Hope replied. They traveled through the Historia Crux and came out in a strange, dead, place.

"Where are we?" Serah asked.

"The Void Beyond; it's like Valhalla, a place where time doesn't exist," Lightning replied. She briefly glanced at the throne behind the rubble in the middle of the area. Serah and Hope searched the surroundings but there wasn't anywhere they could go.

"Let's go," Lightning said, turning to leave.

"Why don't you stay here Light? It's like Valhalla," Hope suggested.

"No, it's **like** Valhalla but it isn't Valhalla. I don't belong here," she responded.

"You're right, you belong in Oerba with the rest of us," he replied.

"Hope," she warned, her eyes flashing yellow.

"Well who said you had to be the one to do this? When will you be able to go home?" he questioned stubbornly, slightly wary of the hard glint in her eye he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Don't start, we need to keep going if we're going to fix this mess," she said with a hint of irritation.

"Serah, we should go," Lightning called, getting her sister's attention.

"Come on Mog," she said to the moogle.

"What will happen if you can't return to Valhalla? Do you not want to tell us or do you not know?" Serah asked her sister as they walked side by side. Hope brought up the back.

"I do, but I don't think it's the right time," she answered.

"But Light…" Serah began in a tone Lightning knew well. It was the one she used when she wanted Lightning to tell her something.

"Not you too Serah; am I helping a bunch of kids?" she replied angrily. She huffed and waited for someone to either answer or activate the gate. Serah looked away guiltily, making no further actions so Hope stepped up to activate it. His expression was a mix between worry and determination but he didn't say a word to Lightning. They all stepped through and entered the Historia Crux again. Their next destination landed them in the Sunleth Waterscape.

"Wow, I heard Sazh and Vanille talk about this place. It's so green," Hope commented, stepping forward to explore the surroundings. Lightning watched him carefully, while keeping an eye on Serah. Both were not watching out for danger themselves and Lightning didn't want anything to befall either one. Serah turned to look in the distance and then yelped in excitement, immediately catching Lightning's attention.

"Snow!" she exclaimed, taking off into the connected area.

"Serah, wait!" Lightning called after her. She chased Serah down the grassy path with Hope right next to her.


	8. Chapter 8

**So I finally decided to put up two chapters because let's face it, nothing really happened and for anyone who knows me I like fighting or anything actiony I guess. So, on with the chapter.**

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A giant flan had beaten Snow to the ground. It was currently rounding up more flan, making it a bigger opponent. Serah was kneeling next to him while Mog flew in frantic circles. Lightning arrived in time to fend off the giant creature's flailing arms.

"Hope, get them out of here!" she commanded. He nodded and proceeded to lift Snow off the ground. The big man put an arm over his shoulder while Serah held him around the waist. Lightning retreated when they were out of reach. Hope and Serah set Snow down on the ground. Serah took up her place at his side while Hope returned to stand by Lightning.

"What were you doing fighting that thing? You could have gotten yourself killed. Then how would Serah feel? You should start thinking about how you could affect others before you go off to fight something you know you can't handle," Lightning chided him.

"Good to see you too sis. I knew you cared," he replied tiredly.

"My concern was for Serah," she replied coolly, turning to leave the two lovers alone. She put a lot of distance between them and sat on a log. It always took a while for her to warm up to Snow and this time was no different. Hope followed and sat next to her. He remained quiet, determined to show her he was willing to wait.

"Are you hungry? I'm sure you two haven't eaten since setting out. Time may have been fast for you but I'm hoping you know when you're hungry regardless of time," she spoke at last. He laughed.

"Figures the first thing you say is toward my health. I'm fine Light, and if you're still unsure we can round up some fruit. I hear they have the best here," he replied. She glanced at him before getting to her feet.

"Let's tell Serah and Snow where we're going first," she suggested. Hope followed her back but remained quiet when she explained to the two where they were going.

"Be careful," Serah told them.

"Are you kidding? This is Light we're talking about remember?" Snow spoke up. Serah smiled at him and nodded. Lightning took that as a time to leave. When they were finally out of earshot, she spoke.

"As much as Snow irritates me, I'm glad Serah found him but I still worry," she said. Hope glanced at her in confusion.

"Why?" he questioned.

"If we fix the time, Snow might disappear. He doesn't belong here. I've watched him travel through time just as you have but he lacks my guidance to keep him solid in each time era," she explained.

"So what will happen if he disappears?" Hope asked nervously. It was something else she refused to answer just yet. Hope sighed and continued on with the silent knight striding next to him. Hope was glad when they found the fruit they were looking for, collected a few, and began the trek back. They found an artifact as they searched for fruit and saw another high in a tree.

"How do we get that?" Hope questioned, shielding his eyes from the sun as he tilted his head back to see.

"We need Mog," Lightning replied, not even glancing at the out of reach object.

"Mog?" he wondered.

"Yes, you'll see. Let's get these back to Serah and Snow. She may have healed him enough by now," Lightning replied. Snow was better when they got back. He took one look at the fruit and almost ate it all, sparing only two for Hope and two for Serah. Lightning looked on with arms crossed and her characteristic scowl of disapproval. When they had eaten, Lightning led them back to the artifact.

"If you ever encounter something out of reach, just use Mog," she told them. She gestured to the moogle and he flew over without hesitation. She reached out and grabbed the moogle who was surprised enough to put up a fight. Lightning ignored his reluctance, aimed, and threw the moogle at the out of reach artifact. He soared through the air and came to a halt next to the item. He reached out and touched it, disappearing into sparkles that reappeared next to Serah. The artifact was now in their possession.

"That was amazing Mog!" Serah said, holding the artifact.

"Kupo!" the moogle replied happily.

"Now we have two destinations out of here. We can't fight that thing yet so I think we should just go," Hope said.

"Which way?" Serah asked.

"Just pick, we have to visit both anyway," he replied.

"I choose this way then," Serah said, pointing in the direction of what looked like a tree stump in the distance.

"We'll have to pass that flan again," Snow said warily. Serah grabbed his hand and pulled him forward. Hope watched them go before turning to Lightning.

"Lead the way," she said simply, calling forth her gunblade and following the happy couple. They carefully avoided the giant flan and reached the other side.

"What is that? Is it dangerous?" Snow wondered, looking down at the huge creature ambling towards them.

"I'm sure it's fine," Serah said, preparing to jump.

"You put too much trust in that thing. Look how big it is. It could eat us," Snow told her, following anyways.

"Yeah, look at her trust in you," Hope said with a snicker. Lightning didn't repress her proud smile.

"Hey! Look what you taught him Light. He grew up with smart ass comments because of you," Snow accused. Lightning only shrugged.

"Someone had to," she replied.

"Hey!" he exclaimed again. Serah only patted his arm, already used to their somewhat friendly banter. She also didn't want to put a damper on Lightning's temporary good mood.

"Ready?" she asked everyone. They all nodded. As one they leaped onto the back of the four legged giant before it could leave again.

"Whoa, this thing is unsteady," Snow complained, almost taking a fall if Lightning hadn't pulled him back up.

"Hey look, a wild artifact!" Hope pointed out. He grabbed Mog, who began to squirm and cry, and got ready to throw him.

"You can do it Mog!" Serah cheered. The moogle fell silent for only a minute before starting up again. Hope aimed and threw. Mog flew through the air and stopped right over the artifact. Mog brought back the artifact and they continued on down the long trail. When they hopped off, a very colorful individual greeted them.

"Hi! I'm Choco-boco-lina! What can I do for you today?" Chocolina asked them excitedly.

"Nothing today, thank you," Serah answered for the group.

"If you need anything just ask!" she responded, flaring out her wing like arms. They walked past the eccentric merchant and stopped at a dead end.

"Kupo, Kupo!" Mog exclaimed, darting over to the edge.

"What's his problem?" Snow asked Serah. She shook her head in concentration.

"Mog, show us the out of phase object," Lightning commanded. Mog twirled and a wave of light flooded the area. A vine materialized instantly. Everyone except Lightning looked surprised.

"I told you he can help. He's good at detecting all kinds of paradoxes," Lightning said. They each stepped forward to take a turn swinging to the other side. When everyone safely made it across, they looked around.

"There's another gate over there," Serah said.

"And there's another wild artifact over here," Hope said, looking down into and expanse of tangled branches.

"Maybe we should snag that artifact before leaving," Snow suggested. Hope agreed because he was already jumping from one branch to another.

"Wait up!" Snow called after him, Lightning was already tailing him.

"Come on Serah, we have to catch up to those two," Snow told her hurriedly. Lightning and Hope made it to the end where a group of miniflan now circled the artifact. When Lightning drew closer, they froze, looked at her, and then scattered.

"Hey, that was easy. They ran away from you pretty fast Light," Hope told her. She ignored him and picked up the artifact. When she turned to hand it to him she froze.

"It wasn't me they were running from," she said quietly.

"What?" Hope wondered.

"Look out!" she commanded, jumping forward to block the incoming jaws with her gunblade. At that moment, a calautidon had climbed up the last branch and snapped at Hope. It shook the scaly armor on its back in anger. A hiss slid out between its long sharp teeth.

"Here, let's get moving," Lightning told him, handing him the artifact. His eyes were wide with surprise but she was calm. He began jumping back across the branches, encountering Snow and Serah who he told to go back. Lightning followed as fast as she could while knocking away the beast's strikes. Hope and the others made it to safety so she lashed out one last time to knock it away and then swiftly caught up to them. She heard the calautidon hiss and tumble down, breaking branches as it went. She leaped off the last branch and landed heavily next to the others.

"Are you ok?" Hope asked her hastily. She held her torso, panting for a moment on one knee, before standing up and nodding. He watched her with ever present worry but she had already schooled her features into one of calm indifference.


	9. Chapter 9

**Another chapter down and closer to the end which will still be in a few more chapters so don't worry! Enjoy!**

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They tried to relax and return to the task at hand. Lightning huffed out an irritated breath, putting on her calm mask but holding her gunblade at the ready. Hope watched her worriedly.

"Let's get the hell out of here before it comes back," Snow declared, leading the way. The gate close by didn't respond to the artifact so they back tracked north and tried the next gate. That didn't work, so they continued north, avoiding the giant flan, until they found another gate.

"Geez this place sucks. How did I end up here?" Snow wondered. Serah giggled and Lightning rolled her eyes.

"Well, this gate should work," Hope said, searching a side pouch for the artifact. As he looked, Lightning scanned the area. She had a feeling they were being watched. She focused on a dense gathering of plants that suddenly exploded apart. A furious calautidon charged right for them. Judging by its injuries, she guessed that it was the same one from earlier. She darted forward, colliding with the others, and sending them tumbling out of the way. The shelled beast snapped and caught Lightning's arm in its jaws, cutting its mouth on the points of armor but bending the metal as well. She kicked the creature but it only continued to charge, dragging her and crushing her arm all the while. She tried taking a swing with her gunblade but she couldn't attack properly.

"Lightning!" she heard Hope shout. He ran after the angry beast and called on his magic. He cast slow and imperil, then let out every elemental attack he had. The calautidon threw Lightning with a hiss and turned on Hope. It shuffled forward slow enough for him to throw out more magic before Snow ran in and punched it into the air. It lost its defense and together, Hope and Serah cast magic until it came down with a crash, dead.

"Lightning, are you alright?" Hope called as he ran to her. She pushed herself to her feet with her left arm. Her right arm hung bloody at her side. He reached out to her and gently lifted her arm, surveying the damage.

"Hell Light, at times like this I wish I could cure you," he told her. She looked at him curiously for a second before looking away. Hope caught her gaze only momentarily. Blood tracked down her face from a cut on her forehead.

"Light, I- you know what I mean. Let's take this off," he replied, working at the metal until it cracked open. He stripped everything off her arm until it was bare and dropped the twisted remains to the floor where it shimmered and disappeared. It was easy work, seeing as everything was shredded, including flesh. Once that was done he cast water to wash off the blood.

"You're healing slowly," he reminded her. She growled and yanked her arm away. Up until now she let him work but she had had enough. Hope looked up at her expectantly. Her eyes glowed yellow in the darkening forest. They stared at each other, neither backing down.

"I don't mean to butt in, but Serah and I will be over here setting up camp for the night. I think we all deserve it," Snow told them. Hope only nodded while Lightning's eyes narrowed. Snow wandered off to be with Serah.

"Lightning, don't be difficult. You need to start taking care of yourself," Hope demanded. Lightning merely turned away and stalked off. Hope groaned and jogged after her.

"Please just listen. We're all exhausted so you don't have to pretend your fine. I can feel how tired you are. Will you please-" Hope pleaded but Lightning growled and spun around so quick Hope couldn't react. She lashed out at a tree trunk next to Hope's head, sending wood everywhere and marking the tree with a deep gouge. He froze; slightly taken aback by the threatening growl and watched her warily.

She glared at him before darting off into the dark. He followed the noise she made through the foliage until he found her tearing into a group of monsters who tried to flee from her path. oannes and sahagin prince bodies littered the area along with globs of miniflan and flanbanero. She stopped and turned to confront Hope next. He stood still and let her advance. She was almost on him when she halted with a pained expression. She staggered and then collapsed to the grassy ground.

"What the…Lightning, Lightning can you hear me?" Hope exclaimed. He kneeled next to her and shook her shoulder. She rolled on her back, breathing heavily.

"I've been out of Valhalla too long," she muttered. Hope panicked when he saw that her normally fierce yellow or blue eyes were now a faded gray before shifting to a dull blue.

"At least it snapped me out of my rage," she said halfheartedly.

"Light just relax. When you're able to get up we will go back to camp and get some sleep. You need it more than us," he told her softly. She agreed without complaint and worked at evening out her breathing before sitting up. Hope helped her to her feet and together they returned to camp. Once Lightning was fast asleep, Hope tended to the cut on her forehead which healed considerably. Snow and Serah greeted him but returned to their conversation, not wanting to intrude.

He cleaned the blood from her face gently and then moved to her arm. It had both cuts and puncture marks. His bare hands smoothed over her skin tenderly, wondering when Lightning would accept his help again. By the time he finished, Serah and Snow were both asleep. The big man held Serah in his arms as they slept. He looked back at Lightning before carefully maneuvering her so that he lied on a blanket of leaves and she rested on his stomach like a pillow.

"Good night Claire," he whispered to her. Her brows furrowed for a second before her face became expressionless. He reached down to caress her face with the back of his hand and then relaxed. Sleep came easily to him. By the next morning everyone was feeling better. They crowded in a circle, quietly enjoying the peaceful silence until they were ready to head out. Hope went to activate the gate when Lightning stopped Snow from going any further.

"I need you to stay here. Keep an eye on that flan and we'll be back," she told him.

"Why can't I tag along?" he asked.

"You're existence is precarious as of now. You weren't meant to travel through time but you did. At any moment, our actions may send you anywhere with no memory of what happened here. I think it's best if you stay put," she explained calmly. He frowned and sagged like a pouting child until Serah hugged him.

"Don't worry, we'll be back Snow," she told him. He perked up.

"Ok, until then, your hero will watch the front lines," he responded dutifully. She laughed and stepped up to the gate. Hope activated it and they entered, exiting in a large plain. The sky was cloudy and wind rustled the tall grass.

"Is this the Archylte Steppe?" Serah asked the other two.

"I think it is, but at what time? The terrain is all weird since the last time we stopped by here, don't you think," Hope replied. Lightning took a few steps forward and analyzed the tall grass surrounding them.

"Watch out for monsters. There are a lot here hiding in the grass. There's a village nearby. I think we should head there and see what the locals say," she told them. Hope and Serah stayed close to her as they made a path through the grass. They fought goblins with their chieftains along the way. The monsters chased them mercifully until they were outrun or cut down by an irritated Lightning. When they entered the settlement they were immediately greeted. Talk of a monster eating flan terrorized the plain. A quick discussion with the leader named Tipur revealed the creature's name was Faeryl. It was a dragon with a black hole for a stomach that constantly ate flan. He also explained how to use the weather controlling device to change the current weather to stormy, which would bring out the beast. They changed the weather and then retreated to the entrance of the village.

"So do you think Faeryl eating all the flan is a paradox?" Serah wondered.

"Definitely, I think if we defeat it there won't be so many flan running wild in Sunleth," Hope pointed out.

"It's causing the creation of that giant flan so we may have a chance at fighting it if we stop Faeryl," Lightning agreed. They traveled out to the middle of the Plains of Eternity and saw the big dragon crouching on a rock formation in the Sanctorium. They headed in that direction and jumped into battle. With Lightning taking supporting in any way she could, Serah and Hope became ravagers. The beast fell quickly when they staggered it. Its attacks were strong but Lightning kept it distracted while Serah and Hope weakened it with the ice and lightning elements.

"That wasn't so hard was it?" Serah said. Mog transformed back into a moogle at her side. On returning to the village, they told Tipur who was happy to hear that Faeryl was gone and gave them an artifact. As a request from Tipur and a woman named Myta, they stayed a little longer to get rid of a goblin group and collect wool from the sheep that roamed the land. Lightning refused the latter request and kept watch while Serah and Hope chased down the easily frightened sheep. They returned to the gate when they were done and arrived back in Sunleth Waterscape where Snow bounded over to Serah happily.

"We weren't gone that long," Serah said with a laugh.

"I went to check on that giant flan and it's really only a big flan now. I swear it shrunk and turned green," Snow told them.

"We weakened it then," Lightning concluded.

"So we can fight it now?" Snow asked, brimming with excitement.

"We should be able to," Lightning replied.

"What are we standing around here for? Let's go get that thing," Snow stated, striding in the direction of the flan. They followed the determined man back into battle.

"Here we go," Snow said as they ran towards it. The monster quickly locked on to them and let out a cloud of green gas. Hope quickly worked to take away the poison brought on by the attack. Serah cast aero while Snow strafed around the gelatinous mass in the sentinel role to keep its attention trained on him. Lightning concentrated on severing any arms that swiped at them. Hope joined Serah's effort and the monster was staggered. Lightning charged in and launched it into the air where the ravagers finished it off.

"Yeah, we finally got it!" Snow exclaimed while he punched the air in victory. Serah cheered and Hope smiled. Lightning stood with a hesitant expression. Hope noticed her emotion and looked at her questioningly.

"Snow…" she addressed the man reluctantly. He stopped to look at her.

"What's up Light?" he asked. She looked at him apologetically before glancing at his hand. He looked confused but Serah understood. She gasped.

"Snow, you're disappearing!" she cried.

"Huh?" he raised his hands and watched as his body began to fade in bright light. He fell to his knees and Serah watched teary eyed.

"Damn, well I guess I am. I can't stay here anymore right; now that the paradox is fixed?" he questioned. Lightning nodded.

"Serah, we **will** see each other again. I promise," he told her.

"Snow, don't go. Not again, I'll miss you," she pleaded, tears making tracks down her face. He smiled sadly before disappearing completely. Serah reached out but he was already gone. Lightning walked over to her and helped her stand.

"You will see him again Serah. He wasn't lying," she told her sister. Serah nodded and dried her tears. Together they found a gate in the Forest Crossroads that accepted their newly acquired artifact. They stepped through and came out in the Void Beyond once again.


	10. Chapter 10

**Ten chapters down and more to come. I usually leave this spot for rambling but I haven't had much to say recently but yesterday I went back to playing FFXII (yeah, old right?) and came up with something unintentionally. I had just saved at a crystal and complained how nothing was set for sure in the game until you found a crystal to save. I guess I just got lazy since PS3 came out with almost all games coming with an automatic save. Anyway, I said 'Nothing is set in stone until you save it in crystal.' I laughed and spent an hour silently congratulating myself. It may not seem like much but I was sorely loosing at the time so don't judge, lol. So that's the end of my rambling for today. Enjoy!**

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Serah looked around in confusion while Hope turned to hear what Lightning had to say. She moved closer to the throne and stopped at the rubble.

"More of the area is clear," she commented. Hope glanced around and noticed it too.

"Every time we change something, this place changes too right?" Serah said. Lightning only nodded.

"We need to move on," she told them, turning to stand by the gate. The next time they came out they were in a new environment. It was dark and neon signs blinded in every color from every surface of the city that surrounded them. Rain poured heavily from the sky.

"This is Academia 500, when the Fal'Cie is in charge," Lightning said.

"What Fal'Cie?" Hope questioned. He didn't get an answer because at that moment, a group of ghouls approached them.

"Stay alert," Lightning commanded, calling on her gunblade. Hope took out his weapon and Mog transformed into a bow for Serah.

"Having trouble are we?" a male voice taunted. They easily found the owner. Standing in the back of the crowd of Cie'th was Caius. Lightning easily batted away the ghouls and swiped at him but he was gone.

"We need to keep moving, they won't stop!" Hope yelled over the rain and sounds of battle. They gathered together and headed east, stopping at a terminal that changed the direction of the ramp in front of them. They ran up, slid on the slick ground, and stumbled through a barrier. The small area was quiet compared to outside.

"Hello, I'm Miss Horizon. Care to learn about the security system? You will need it if you plan on traversing the city," a woman by a computer terminal offered. They agreed and she began to explain. The Proto Fal'Cie in charge had locked down the city and began changing the citizens into Cie'th. To reach the gate that would get them out of there, they had to fight through a hoard of Cie'th and mechanized security. Once they were defeated, the barriers would drop and allow them access to certain parts of the city.

"Thank you for the help," Hope told the woman.

"You're welcome; oh, and if you happen to have explored an area fully, come talk to me. Our data base has been corrupted and we lost a lot of information," she told them.

"We'll try," Hope replied. They walked to the other side of the area, careful to avoid the eccentric Chocolina on their way out.

"Well, there's the first barrier," Serah said. They quickly entered battle and eliminated the obstacle. They fought through Cie'th and mechanized units constantly, all the while enduring irritating comments from Caius who appeared every so often. They stopped in a narrow alley to take a break. Hope's back was torn open with three jagged claw marks from a Cie'th and Serah frayed the hem of her clothes from the electric shock of a mechanized unit. Both worked at healing one another. Lightning's armor received minimal abuse. Serah and Hope did a good job of keeping each other in good health regardless of what they encountered. Lightning may not have been a sentinel but she was good at distracting the enemy or protecting Hope and Serah when they needed to heal.

"I don't think I can continue. I'm getting tired," Serah said.

"Yeah, healing only goes so far but I'll help you with buffs. We can't give up Serah," Hope stated, a bit tired himself. If he hadn't traveled with Lightning in the past, he might have been too tired at this moment too. He understood what Serah was going through though.

"We can't hide out here all day. We have to follow Caius," Lightning told her. She flinched involuntarily from a pain none of them could see. Hope wanted to get to Caius for the same reasons Lightning did; to force him to reverse whatever he did to Lightning.

"Ok, let's go get him," Serah said with a weak nod. She poked Mog who hung in the air tiredly. Lightning peeked around the corner and tried to map a route through the chaos. She signaled to them and they darted out into the corridors again. They came to a bridge not too long later but skid to a halt when Caius appeared to destroy it.

"Looks like you'll be taking the long way," he said with a smirk before disappearing again.

"Why doesn't he stop running and fight?" Lightning growled under her breath. Hope didn't dare point out they fought before, and she lost. She seemed to have felt his meaning though and glared at him. They continued to chase Caius who showed up once in a while until they hit a dead end with a single staircase leading up to a gate. They fought past a group of flying Cie'th and ran for the stairs when a bigger Cie'th dropped from a building to block their path. To make matters worse, Caius appeared.

"I will stop you from further altering time. Your disturbance has caused Yeul to suffer death after death. All at your hands," he seethed.

"So you plan to topple existence all for her? You've lost sight of your true purpose Caius. The Chaos inside you has taken control. Rethink this," Lightning responded. His reply was to raise his hand in a signal before disappearing.

"Damn!" Lightning growled. The Cie'th screeched and tentacles burst from the ground. They writhed, blocking their attacks and returning their blows.

"Cut these down and then go for the Cie'th!" Lightning commanded, dodging a tentacle and then severing it. When its defense was down they put all their force into attacking the Cie'th. Hope and Serah threw out spells while Lightning kept the creature at bay. More tentacles burst from the ground, whipping out forcefully as one. Lightning rolled out of the way, Serah was tripped to the floor, but Hope received a painful blow to the head that knocked him out cold. Lightning swiftly dispatched the tentacles before turning her attention on the Cie'th. Three quick slices cut the monster in pieces. Her gunblade disappeared from her hand and she rushed to Hope, lifting him into her arms. Serah joined her sister, and together they ran to the gate, where Serah offered the newly acquired artifact. They entered and came out in a digital looking room.

"Augusta Tower 300, we went back in time. Good, we can stop that berserk Proto Fal'Cie by accessing the computers here," Lightning said.

"Wait, I'm confused Light. Can you please explain what's going on? I know you know," Serah said desperately. Lightning sighed but nodded. She entered a small cubical room and laid Hope across a table.

"Wake him up and I'll explain when I get back," she told her little sister.

"But Light, where are you going?" she questioned.

"I'm going to find the computer that will give me a key we will need later," she replied simply.

"Ok, but you are explaining for sure when you come back right?" Serah checked.

"Yes," Lightning replied sincerely. She jogged out of the room to access the terminals. Serah mended Hope diligently, only stopping when the room she was in moved and then Lightning passed through.

"I'll be right back," she assured her. Serah nodded and then returned to Hope. Lightning fought easily past the mechanized monsters to reach the next floor and then found the computer she was looking for. She typed in the code and received the Access Key 50. With this in hand, she returned to Serah and Hope. When she entered the room, Hope was sitting up on the table. He was rubbing his head tiredly.

"I can't believe I was taken down so easily," he complained.

"Don't beat yourself up," Lightning told him. She handed him the Access Key 50.

"Keep that safe, we'll need it," she told him. He took it and put it in his pouch.

"I told Hope you would explain when you got back," Serah said.

"Yes, the reason for all this. Caius is the Guardian for the seer Paddra Nsu-Yeul. However, the Chaos within him keeps him living forever until a new Guardian is chosen. No one has succeeded so he has lived, guarding her every reincarnation just to witness her death every time. Yeul continues to die at a very young age because the shifts in time cause her powers to fatally shock her body. Caius has grown mad watching this and believes that it is us who have to be stopped but we are only looking to put a stop to what has been upheaved. Like I said before, Etro has kept me alive to stop him from his rage but this choice is what caused the paradox. So, he travels through time, trying to save a different Yeul in each era only to fail when we change the future. He plans on bringing down Cocoon, believing that a genocide sacrifice will bring forth the Maker who will change this world until it resembles Valhalla. Remember, Valhalla has no time, so Yeul will be feed from it ever changing again and killing her. Then he could free himself and Yeul from this never ending fate," she told them.

"Will his plan work?" Serah gasped out.

"If he succeeds it will for sure. Etro has shown me a great deal of what is to come but even she is not certain of the end. To be honest, I'm uncertain too," Lightning admitted.

"Why?" Hope questioned.

"I have the power to defeat Caius because along with the powers granted to me from Etro, I am still part Death Wraith so I now possess both Life and Death. The key to unleashing such power comes from you Hope since you are my Light Stabilizer. I'm just too afraid to take the risk of letting out my darker side because Caius could hold sway over me with his equally dark Chaos abilities. My light must be strong enough to pull me through and with Etro so weak and my own light barely there I must rely on you Hope, but I don't want you dragged into this. I'm unsure whether I can do this or not," she replied quietly. Hope now understood the gravity of her actions and the choices they had to make if they wanted a better future. He understood why she remained stoic and stern to them. She was worried if she was capable of succeeding in a role Etro herself had appointed her to accomplish.


	11. Chapter 11

Her usually strong exterior was now delicate. A vulnerable side of Lightning Serah had only seen once when their parents died was now resurfacing. Hope had never seen this side of her. She was always certain of her goals and would do anything to achieve them. He wondered if there was something she wasn't telling them. Something that went beyond what she had already told them.

"Claire, if you need my help, you know I'll be there," Hope told her sincerely.

"I'm here for you too sis. You know I always will," Serah spoke up. Lightning sighed but nodded.

"Yes, and that is what scares me. I don't want you two to get hurt. I'm upset that I have no choice but to drag you into this Hope, but I can't afford to lose you too Serah," she confessed. Serah tried to argue but Lightning cut her off.

"Don't try and change my mind. You are to stay in Oerba when the time comes. I won't listen to anything you have to say against my decision so don't even try," she said sternly, slowly returning to the in control Lightning they all knew. Serah's eyes watered at the news but she nodded sadly. She wasn't happy with the decision but she strived to keep her sister happy.

"So, we fix these paradoxes and then hunt down Caius for good?" Hope questioned.

"That's what I had planned but with me stuck here I don't know what could happen," she responded, worry leaking into her tone.

"Let's focus on the task at hand before tackling something bigger. All I know is, if Caius shows his face again I want you to let me help you. Maybe if we over power him we can break through whatever he did to you," Hope implored her.

"Ok, I'm willing to accept that," she agreed. He was slightly surprised by her quick acceptance. He was ready for her to push him away again but she didn't. She had finally had closure on the subject and knew what she had to do.

"Let's return to Yaschas Massif and continue on to Augusta Tower 200. The Proto Fal'Cie Adam is behind the disaster at Academia 400. It was created by the Academy because they thought they needed a Fal'Cie but it has taken all control like any other Fal'Cie, fake or not," Lightning told them.

"It's a man made Fal'Cie? How was that accomplished? You know what, never mind, how did it gain control?" he asked.

"It killed its creators," she replied. Hope and Serah looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"That's why we're going further back in time to destroy it so that it can't take control," she said.

"So it's here now?" Serah questioned, looking around, expecting an attack at any moment.

"Yes, it tried stopping me when I obtained the key. Now that we have it, we can access the higher floors in the past and fight it," Lightning said. She offered her hand to Hope who took it so that she could help him down.

"Are you feeling ok to move around again?" Lightning asked him in concern.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," he answered. They left Augusta Tower 300 and traveled back to Yaschas Massif where they entered another gate using a wild artifact and finally came out in Augusta Tower 200.

"The elevator is in the middle of the room," Lightning said, gesturing them to stay close. A lone greater behemoth assaulted them on their way to the elevator but Lightning redirected its path off the platform. She didn't have time to deal with trivial fights at the moment. They boarded the elevator and started it up. Every floor they reached contained monsters waiting to ambush them on the way. They suffered no severe damage but the constant battles began to be a little disconcerting. The elevator finally came to a stop at the top floor. A wild artifact hovered on the far right and Mog flew over to retrieve it and bring it back. Hope pocketed it and thanked the little moogle.

"The Proto Fal'Cie Adam is up those stairs. We will restore Academia 400 when we get rid of him," Lightning said. They cautiously ascended the stairs and stopped in the middle of the wide room they stepped into. The atmosphere felt ominous and Lightning's senses where trying to pick up on any hint of danger. A shimmer of light caught all their attention. In seconds, the Proto Fal'Cie floated in front of them. The Fal'Cie spun its right and left manipulator in their direction. Mog quickly transformed while Hope and Lightning each deflected the attack.

"We need to get these out of the way first," Hope observed. Lightning nodded. The trio first focused on one manipulator before they could start in on the other. Hope cast thunder and blizzard before throwing his Airwing. Serah swiped twice and then jumped back when the other Manipulator lifted and then slammed down. It missed all of them. She commanded Mog into a bow, took aim, and let go.

The arrow flew and struck, causing the now rising manipulator to hesitate. Lightning leaped and took it out. Now that there was only one manipulator, it shifted to spin in front of the Fal'Cie. It heated up with power, slowly opening to spin in a wide circle. When it gathered enough it shot into the air and release the energy. The three scattered to avoid getting hit. It slammed back to the ground, making them hurry for cover again. When they were sure it was done, they ran forward to take out that manipulator too.

"He's powerless now! Let's go!" Hope shouted.

"Wait, he still has-" Serah tried to say. Hope ran at the Fal'Cie only to be smacked out of the way by a claw like limb hanging by its side. He hit the floor and rolled, catching himself on his knees. He pushed off the floor and was ready again in no time.

"Are you ok? I tried to tell you," Serah said with worry. He shrugged off her concern.

"I'm ok, let's just destroy this thing," he replied. They each took a different route to confuse the Fal'Cie. It struck at Serah who dodged it, then it turned to swipe at Hope but it missed again. As one, they attacked the now helpless Fal'Cie. It fell after sustaining too much damage.

"You think it's gone?" Serah wondered. A shimmer blinded them and Hope groaned.

"Does that answer your question?" he told her. The Fal'Cie was back.

"Who was stupid enough to make this thing anyway? This machine is going to get them killed!" Serah screamed desperately.

"No time for that now Serah, it's going to attack," Lightning spoke up. The Manipulators began circling them while sparking with electricity. They shot forward and Lightning met them halfway. Her blade clashed on the metal and the stream of electricity shot through her blade and over her body. She gritted her teeth and bared the pain until the Fal'Cie suddenly shuddered. The manipulators collapsed and Lightning's view was cleared in time to see that Hope got a hold of Mog and was shooting arrows non-stop into the chest of the Fal'Cie. His last shot sent a big arc of electricity that knocked the Fal'Cie off the platform and spread over the room. The manipulators disappeared, Lightning sheathed her gunblade, Serah ran to check on her, and Hope relaxed. His grip on Mog loosened so that the bow slipped out of his grip. Before falling, Mog transformed back. Blue electric currents ran through his body and his bobble was bent at a strange angle.

"Kupo…" the moogle groaned.

"Sorry Mog," Hope apologized. The little moogle flew over to Serah and he followed.

"I'm alright Serah. Let's go," she told her sister, quick to brush off any dotting. They left Augusta Tower 200 and came out in a sunny, peaceful, version of the Academia they had visited before.

"Wow, what a change in environment," Serah commented happily. There were people everywhere who chatted with each other.

"Yeah, nothing is trying to kill us for once," Hope pointed out.

"So, where do you think we should go?" Serah questioned them.

"Hmmm, what's that big building in the distance?" Hope wondered.

"That's the Research Facility. The Academy has been hard at work since the last time we saw them," Lightning explained.

"Ok then, let's go see what their up to now," Hope replied, leading the girls in the direction of the Facility. Once inside, they made their way to the back. A door slid open to reveal Lt. Amador having a discussion with some Academy members. When he saw them, his face brightened and he motioned them over. The group dispersed so they did as they were asked. Lightning held a somewhat nervous expression that Hope chased away with a quick squeeze of her hand. She glanced at him gratefully before pulling away and straightening to her full height.

"Man, am I glad to see you guys again. I have lots to explain, like why I'm here for example, but first…" he said, turning to look at Lightning with pride and respect. She returned his feelings with equal intensity.

"Sergeant Farron, it's an honor to see you're alive and well," he told her with an amiable smile.

"It's beyond words to see you again Lieutenant. I'm sorry for going AWOL with your troops. I was only trying to do what I thought was right," Lightning replied.

"I understand Farron. It's not everyday something like The Purge happens. Your sister was in danger and you wanted to help her. I'm happy enough that you told me you were going and you didn't just take off without me knowing at all," he said.

"I hardly see a note left on your desk as a proper explanation," she responded honestly. Hope gave her a slightly amused crooked smile and a raised eyebrow. Serah giggled behind her hands.

"I'm glad to see you Sir but what are you doing here?" she questioned. He sighed and took a few steps forward.

"It's a long story," he said.

"We have some time to spare," Lightning assured him. He smiled and shrugged. Hope, Serah, and Lightning prepared for his explanation.


	12. Chapter 12

Amodar scratched the back of his head, momentarily thinking of where to start. He held up a finger when he caught on to a train of thought.

"Oh, yeah, well, since the last time I saw you guys the Academy was trying to come up with a way to save Cocoon. A little nudge from me got them going. After seeing what you guys were going through I wanted to help and my good graces with the Academy gave me a way to. So, in 013 AF the Academy came up with the Proto Fal'Cie Adam who was supposed to help keep Cocoon afloat, but we saw how that went right?" he said.

"Wait, how did you know?" Hope asked. Amodar raised his hands.

"Hold on, let me explain. I was sitting in a new office at the Academy when the Oracle Drive came on. It showed me you three fighting the Fal'Cie we would create. Serah screamed at whoever was responsible for making it and claimed that it would kill them. Well, I hurried to stop the production and we didn't make it. Instead we came up with another idea that we are still in the works to finish. You see, we need parts that aren't exactly in this time but they are a key component," he explained.

"So how are you still alive?" Hope asked bluntly. Lightning glared at him like a reprimand but Amodar laughed.

"Good question. I wanted to see how our new plans would work out so I chose to put myself in stasis along with a few other head members and here we are," he answered.

"What's the new plan?" Serah questioned curiously.

"We are going to build a whole new man-made Cocoon. Hopefully we'll be able to get it up before the old one falls," he said gravely.

"The parts you're missing, do they happen to be the five Gravitational Cores needed to keep it afloat?" Lightning said. Amodar nodded.

"Yeah, except they're pretty scattered through time. It would be difficult for us to obtain them. You know, maybe I'm thinking about this too hard," he said with a chuckle. The three looked at him questioningly.

"Why don't you help the cause and find the cores for us? It would be great seeing as you somehow mastered time where we were barely able to get ourselves here," he said.

"But Amodar, about the time we have left…" Hope attempted to say. Lightning grabbed his shoulder roughly to stop him from saying more. She didn't want to further worry Amodar with her personal problems.

"We'll help Sir. Do you have information on the location of the cores?" she asked. Serah let a worried expression creep onto her face and Hope glared at her but Lightning was determined so she ignored them.

"Go to the front desk and someone will fill you in ok? Bring back what you find and we'll be forever in your debt," he said.

"We'll be back," Lightning replied, turning to briskly stride out of the room.

"She sure is determined. Even when she got in the worst battles she kept fighting on regardless of what happened to her," Amodar commented.

"She wants to make up for her mistake in the past. I think if she accomplishes this she won't feel so bad for walking out on you and the Corps," Hope said.

"She did have a knack for keeping her squad in shape but I already forgive her for leaving. There was something more happening and now something bigger is happening again isn't there? She may easily fall back into her role in my ranks but that armor suggests something else. What's going on with her?" he wondered.

"A very, very long story," Serah told him.

"It has to do with that purple haired guy we saw fighting her though am I right?" he responded warily. The two nodded. Amodar sighed tiredly but then he brightened.

"I don't know how she does it, but if I know Farron, it's that she will never give up no matter what's thrown at her. I know you worry Serah, but I'm sure she will overcome anything that's in her way. Even if it takes her a while to realize how to do it," he told the youngest Farron. She hesitated with a smile and then nodded.

"Yes I know. We'll see you later," she said with a wave.

"With the cores I hope," Amodar replied with a wink.

"Yes, definitely with the cores," Hope supplied. They left through the big doors and headed for the exit. Lighting stood by the doors with her arms crossed and a slight cringe in her frown. People walking by gave her a lot of room when passing but she ignored their stares and followed Hope and Serah out of the facility. No one said anything on the way back until Hope dragged Lightning into a side alley.

"Are you ok?" he asked her. She didn't answer but a wave of pain made her scowl falter and gave him the answer he needed. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, coming up with a silent plan to make Lightning see reason. For now he chose a different course of action, to go along with whatever she wished and then strike when she least expected it.

"Where are the cores then? Did you get the information at the front desk?" he asked her.

"Yes, our first stop is Oerba," she replied. Both Hope and Serah were surprised.

"Our time?" Serah questioned to make sure.

"Yes, the time you left to go on this journey. You must keep in mind that it will only seem like minutes since you left. Time has not passed quickly there even though you feel like you've been gone longer. For this reason I want you to stay out of sight. It doesn't do anyone any good to repeat a goodbye," she told them. Hope listened thoughtfully. He wondered if that was why she didn't tell him goodbye; because it hurt her to say it every time she had to leave him. They followed Lightning out to the gate, where Serah activated it. A short travel through the Historia Crux landed them back in Oerba 003 AF.

"Come on Light, you can see everyone again and show them you're ok!" Serah exclaimed, tugging on Lightning's hand. Hope smiled in anticipation. She pulled away and backed towards the gate instead.

"No Serah, I think it's best that they think I'm still gone. I think it's best that they think we are all still gone," she said.

"But Light…" Serah said. Lightning only shook her head.

"Take the route behind the watch tower to reach the entrance faster. Look at the house closest to the road and search the roof. The Gravitation Core Gamma will be there. Hurry back so we can go find the next one," she told them.

"What if we run into someone?" Hope asked.

"Make it quick," she answered. Hope sighed but nodded. He grabbed Serah's hand and ran to retrieve the Gravitation Core.

"Hope, slow down!" Serah said out of breath. He glanced back at her but didn't slow down. Instead, he let her hand go and took off without her while she slowed to a fast walk behind him. Hope jumped a big tree root and came to a halt at the stretch of road that lead to the village or to the entrance. He turned down the road and stopped at the edge where a nearby building stood. Beyond it were a crowd of people going about their day.

"I don't see it," he mumbled. Serah came up behind him and leaned on her thighs tiredly. Mog zoomed past both of them to hover over a roof, his little bobble glowed.

"Mog, show the out of phase object," Hope commanded. The moogle twirled, sending out a wave of light just like before. The Gravitation Core shimmered into view.

"Kupo!" Mog exclaimed, picking it up and teleporting back to Hope.

"Good, now let's get back before anyone finds us here," he said. He pocketed the core and ran back the other way. Serah followed closely behind him while Mog followed her. Hope slid down the incline, jumped off at the end, and jogged over to Lightning.

"Are you ready to find the others?" she asked. They nodded. Lightning gestured to the gate so Hope stepped forward to activate it. The next time they came out was in Bresha Ruins 005 AF.

"And now we're back here," Serah said.

"The next core is in a side area next to those big stairs past the excavation site," Lightning explained. They started off through the groups of Academy members and soldiers. A few stopped to stare at Lightning before hurrying off like they didn't. They stopped at the top of the stairs and the turned to see the hidden away area. Lightning walked forward to stand at the edge of a wide piece of rubble on the stairs.

"The distance looks like we will need a chocobo but I think I can get it," she told the other two. She backed up to get a head start before running forward. She jumped, pushed off the very edge and sailed over the wall with a flip. She landed heavily, taking a moment to rise and then walked over to the Gravitation Core Beta that floated by some rocks. She left through an opening to the right and then circled back up to Hope and Serah.

"Two down, three to go," Hope said when she handed him the core. The descended the stairs and headed back to the gate. Their next stop was Academia 400. The minute they landed Serah groaned.

"Not here again," she complained.

"I can go get it if you want. I don't want to put you in unnecessary danger Serah," Lightning told her sister.

"I'll go with you," Hope said. Lightning studied him carefully before nodding.

"Great, let's go," he said. She led him down a ramp and then took the path to the right. They turned left and came face to face with a giant Cie'th. It's back was turned at the moment but it was slowly turning around.

"What is that thing? I've never seen any **that** big," Hope muttered. Lightning drew her gunblade.

"Keep your guard up, it isn't as bad as it looks," Lightning told him calmly. He nodded and reached for his Airwing but she stopped him.

"I'll need you on full casting offensive. Can you do that?" she requested.

"Yeah, what can I do?" he questioned.

"Cast protect on yourself and deshell on it. Then, get ready to cast ruin once we have its attention," she replied. He nodded, readying himself for a fight.


	13. Chapter 13

Hope immediately jumped into action, eliciting an angry shriek from the Cie'th when he attacked it. Lightning advanced on the monster, dodging the fists that rained down. Hope began slinging ruin at it. A particular swing knocked Lightning aside. The Cie'th easily targeted him next. It lurched forward and raised a fist but Lightning was back in the fray. She lashed at the raised arm, cutting deep into its rocky exterior but getting stuck in the process. Its attack fell short and missed Hope. Lightning pulled her blade free and jumped to land on the monster's head. It tried to reach her but couldn't so its focus switched to Hope.

He continued to cast ruin and dodge its fists. Lightning lifted her blade high and then landed a blow into the neck. A distorted howl followed as it teetered to one side and then fell, missing Hope by inches in the process. Its collision with the ground broke the path they stood on. The ground under Hope's feet began to crumble and he fell, landing on the Cie'th's shoulder. The body finally landed on a ramp with a crash, cracking the lit up ramp under it and sending sparks everywhere until it died down. Rubble fell around them. Lightning grabbed Hope and ran for safety under the part of the path that wasn't ruined.

"Hey look, the Gravitation Core," Hope panted, bending to pick up the item they came there for.

"Good, we have Gravitation Core Delta. Let's meet back up with Serah and get out of here," Lightning replied. They both climbed over the giant Cie'th and followed the incline up. They eased around the now destroyed path and then back up the ramp to Serah. Their dusty state made Serah raise an eyebrow questioningly.

"What did you two get into?" she wondered.

"A little fight, but we won. We still have two more so let's get them," Lightning stated.

"We need to back track to the gate that will take us to our needed destination," Lightning told them.

"Will there be Cie'th along the way?" Hope guessed.

"There won't be too much if we just make a quick get away," Lightning pointed out. The three took the next two ramps down into the New Town area, only stopping when Serah gasped at the monster that stopped Hope and Lightning from getting to the lower area in the first place. Three groups of Cie'th and a quick use of a wild artifact later, they entered the Historia Crux to come out in Yaschas Massif.

"What happened now?" Hope wondered.

"Yeah, why is it so dark?" Serah said.

"This is Yaschas Massif 100, not the one we know," Lightning replied. Both Serah and Hope had no intention of finding out why it was different so they remained quiet and followed Lightning through the small pathway and out into the big field of search lights.

"The Gravitation Core Epsilon should be to the left of that pit in the middle of the field," Lightning told them.

"We can expect Behemoths on the way right?" Hope said sarcastically. Serah gave him a slightly worried look.

"No," Lightning replied simply.

"Good," he said with relief. Serah mirrored his expression.

"You can expect a Deathgaze though," she replied seriously. Both of them looked at her with wide eyes. She smiled calmly.

"Don't worry, they're pretty rare. I'm sure we will only come across pitterpatter at the most," she amended. They began walking out into the field and half way there, pink frog like creatures appeared to surround them. Lightning jumped over them and ran for the core. Hope and Serah kept the group away with fire, thunder, and a few swipes from Mog in weapon form.

"Having fun?" Lightning deadpanned when she returned. She passed the core to Hope who pocketed it in his pouch.

"Sure, now let's go before Deathgaze shows up," Serah said, glancing around. They followed the path they had taken back to the gate and entered. Their last stop landed them in the Sunleth Waterscape.

"Looks a little different…" Serah commented.

"Sunleth Waterscape 400," Lightning supplied as she started off.

"Where are we headed?" Hope asked her.

"The Gravitation Core Eta should be in the area where the giant flan used to be," she replied. On arriving at the correct area, they were surprised to see a small group of miniflan that sported strange colors.

"I never saw a pink, black, blue, or yellow miniflan before," Serah commented.

"And you never will. They are a result of the paradox," Lightning answered.

"So do we have to fight them? They seem to like circling the Gravitation Core," Hope noticed.

"Let's find out," she replied. They moved forward and almost in reaction to their movement the miniflan grouped to halt their progress.

"Well I guess we have to fight them," Serah said. Lightning grumbled and drew her gunblade. The miniflan flinched at her glare but didn't move.

"We need to show them a fear greater than being cut in half," Hope said. He raised his hand and brought fire to his palm. The miniflan scurried recklessly in fear before taking of in different directions. Lightning looked at him with a small smile. Serah giggled.

"Good one Hope," she said. He closed his hand to extinguish the flame and then walked forward to pick up the core that sat on a raised level of the area. Then he returned to the girls.

"That's the last one. Let's get them back to Amodar," he said. They journeyed back to Academia and entered the facility. Amodar greeted them happily when they entered.

"I'm glad to see you guys are back. Did you get all five Gravitation Cores?" he asked.

"Here you go Amodar. All five accounted for," Hope replied, handing each one to him. The Lieutenant stored them in a case and then turned to thank them.

"I honestly couldn't have done this without you. I'll be sure to give credit to the three heroes who made this dream possible," he teased. They shared a laugh.

"If fate allows, we will see you again Amodar," Lightning told him, for once not addressing him by anything but his name. He responded with a surprised smile.

"I'll miss you guys 'til then. Here's something for the trouble," he replied handing Hope another artifact. They left the facility and Lightning steered them in the direction of a new gate.

"Are we back on the trail?" Hope asked Lightning. She nodded determinedly.

"Where can we find him?" Serah asked her, not needing to mention who she was talking about. It was clear Lightning had already moved on to the subject of Caius.

"To be honest, I'm not sure. I'm hoping he will find us and then we can settle this mess," she replied. They arrived at the gate and Hope presented it with an artifact.

"Are you ready?" he questioned the sisters. They nodded and together they entered the Historia Crux. The ride was going smoothly until a shudder passed through the spinning rings they traveled through.

"What's going on?" Serah exclaimed, Mog beginning to grow frantic at her side. She reached out and grabbed him in a tight hug to silence him and stop him from moving at the same time.

"I don't know," Lightning replied. A jolt of pain shot through her and she flinched.

"Light?" Hope said hesitantly. She was about to tell him she was fine when a tremor shook them and the group was violently torn apart.

"Claire!" Serah called out.

"Lightning!" Hope yelled. She reached for both but missed their searching hands. A bright flash blinded Lightning and before she knew it, she was tossed from the Historia Crux and landed in the Void Beyond. She hit the dusty stone once and then caught herself in a crouch. She pushed off the ground and stood to get a look at her surroundings. The Void had changed again. Many sets of stairs led up to a high platform. A thought occurred to her and she quickly looked around. Hope and Serah were nowhere in sight. She looked back up at the platform, knowing it must be where they were and then began running up the stairs.

"Caius, if this is your fault I'm going to kill you!" she growled under her breath. She just finished a set of stairs when the pain returned to cripple her. Her legs buckled and she fell, barely catching herself from falling back down the stairs. She held in her agonized cry and refused to let herself react. She forced her body back up and began the task of dragging herself up the next set of stairs. When she reached the top, she quickly became enraged. Caius was indeed there, and he had both Serah and Hope. They were each tied to a pillar of stone with Mog stuck in weapon form and transparent at Serah's feet.

"Caius," she addressed him. She halted mid step as another wave of pain struck her. She was now hunched over and unable to move.

"Seems like you've been away from home too long," Caius observed snidely. She let out a frustrated growled that died with a reluctant whimper. She fell to her knees and leaned over on her hands to keep herself from collapsing. Caius walked over to her and crouched down.

"You're a great fighter, but nothing will stop me from obtaining my goal; especially not you Death Wraith. I control creatures like you. I will not be defeated by a simple minion," he said.

"I **will** stop you, but this is between me and you. Why bring them into this," she replied, referring to Hope and Serah. He laughed.

"You brought them into this warrior not me," he responded.

"And you won't be the one to take them out. Send them back to their home and I will do whatever you ask," she compromised. A grin lit his face and he yanked her from the ground. He made sure that she could stand and then let her go. She swayed slightly but continued to hold herself up. He snapped his fingers and with a crack of orange light, Hope and Serah were gone. Lightning counted on him keeping his word, because she wasn't going to keep hers. No one would use her as a tool if she had anything to say about it.

"Deal, now where were we?" he questioned, grabbing the dark purple blade from his back and swinging it around to point it at her.


	14. Chapter 14

**Finally got another chapter done. I just felt like there hasn't been much fighting recently so here it is. The next chapter might be a while because I have some serious retyping to do with that so yeah. Hope you like it.**

* * *

Lightning struggled with her blade and then slipped into an offensive stance. Caius began circling her. He stopped behind her and jumped forward. Lightning anticipated his move and blocked with her blade. He pushed her blade away and lashed out at her protected arm. Her armor took the damage but the force knocked her weapon from her hands. She dodged the next incoming swing and ran for her gunblade. Caius tailed her and beat her to it, kicking it and sending the blade skidding away and off the ledge.

She came to a halt at the spot it had just been and turned to defend from the next attack she knew was heading her way. Caius' immense blade slammed down on her crossed arms. The armor gave in and she gritted her teeth as it finally cut through and into her flesh. She glanced at Caius who smirked back at her. Swiftly, he yanked the blade from her arm. The motion fluidly entered into a roundhouse kick that sent Lightning flying into a pillar. It cracked at the impact, pieces crumbled and rained down on her, but it didn't fall.

"Let's see what the darkness has to give me," Caius stated as he drew near. He sheathed his blade and reached out to her, grabbing her by the neck and forcing her to her feet. A purple light encased his hand and traveled into the air like a growing fire. Lightning cringed at the sudden sharp pain. Her soul felt like it was being warped within her. Thoughts she had no control over clouded her mind unbidden. She tried to ignore them but they called to her, making her want to give in. She closed her eyes against the onslaught and tried to pull free of Caius' grip on her.

"Give in. You have lost," he told her solemnly. She opened her eyes to glare at him and felt her teeth sharpen in her mouth. He calmly stared into her cold yellow eyes and did not let go.

"Etro chose me for a reason Caius. You're messing with something you have no control over," she spat angrily. A growl rumbled in her chest as she continued to pin him with her gaze. Her hands gripped his arms more firmly, shadows raced up her arms to create claws. The points dug into his suit and drew pinpricks of blood from his skin. By now both of them were shrouded in a purple light that looked like flames.

"Do you really think you can beat me at my own game?" he questioned her. She bared her teeth and tried snapping at him.

"I have every intention to," she answered. She planted her feet firmly on the ground and used all her strength to throw him off balance. Once he faltered, she ripped his hand from her neck and then threw him into the ground forcefully. His face impacted with the hard ground first before his body followed. He grunted but returned to his feet. His face was scrapped up and a cut marred his chin.

"If that is what you want, I can easily dispose of you. I can twist the darkness until it destroys you from the inside out!" he yelled. His threw out a hand and then slowly brought it into a fist. The purple fire surrounding Lightning suddenly constricted her. It wrapped around her slowly transforming body, restricting her from moving and digging into her skin. It coursed through her, the darkness now warring with her body instead of helping.

She felt that small amount of light within her try to balance things but it was quickly wiped out. She fell to her knees, screaming in agony. She was able to move enough to put a hand over the flames but she just fazed through them. She fell forward on her hands knowing it was a futile attempt to put them out. Her body was still burning with the pain but she couldn't stop it.

"Give up yet? You don't mind being a mindless slave right? You already take orders except now you won't be able to do things your way," Caius taunted, crouching down to her level. She weakly lifted her head to glower at him. She was all too aware that her mind was beginning to cloud over. She couldn't think straight anymore. She also didn't know whether she was going to pass out or succumb to this man's torture.

"At least I don't plan on genocide to fix my problems," she objected tiredly. His mouth quirked up slightly then he reached forward to hold her chin in his hand.

"So what will it be?" he questioned, ignoring her last comment. Her reply was a swift attack on his hand. Her now sharpened and long canines dug deep into his skin while the other pointed teeth tore it apart. He screamed and yanked his hand away. She grinned but soon felt his fury through his attack on her body. Her arms gave way and she fell to the floor as the pain increased in intensity. She groaned pitifully and focused harder on staying conscious. She felt his blood on her mouth and on her tongue. That unsettling feeling she knew well enough in the past returned. She felt that gnaw of hunger she had been denying for too long. The darkness surrounding her wavered momentarily, prompting Caius to tilt his head questioningly. His hand had already healed but Lightning wasn't done with him. She had to have more. Her instincts told her to fight back harder.

"Caius, I advise against breaking my will. I was serious when I said you don't know what you're doing. I can't control what I am when the darkness takes over and neither can you. The Shadow Wraiths were beyond cynical and only craved death as their birth. They consumed without care and that is what will happen to you if you set it free, I guarantee you," she forced out as his attack smothered her will to talk.

"Silence," he commanded, turning up the intensity. Now she couldn't talk at all. She felt her insides boiling and coughed on the blood rising into her mouth. Somewhere inside her, her will to fight shattered. She let the feeling consume her as she relaxed into unconsciousness. Caius felt her give up but remained where he was until he was sure she wouldn't get fight again. He ceased his torture of her body to examine her. Her old half healed wounds had opened again, her blood staining the ground under her joined by her new wounds. Red painted the torn and frayed feathers around her waist. She looked war torn and the expression on her face reflected great pain even in unconsciousness. He turned away and casually walked over to Hope and Serah who materialized back where they were. With a sweep of his blade, their bindings were gone and they fell to the ground.

"As for you two, I think I'll just end you here and now," he muttered. He glanced at the young man before studying the way Serah looked remarkably like Lightning. He grinned to himself before lifting his blade high and then bringing it down swiftly on Hope first. A bone jarring stop to its decent almost made him lose his grip on his blade. He glanced up into the glowing gold eyes of a shadow. He examined it better to see it was a pitch black demon like creature. Fangs glinted hungrily from its mouth. Its strong claw held his blade in one hand, the edge not affecting the creature's flesh. His eyes fell on the powerful structure of the creature, deadly in every way.

Grand wings jutted from the back while horns adorned the head. Its breath could be seen in the air and it occurred to him that the air temperature was slowly dropping around him. The Wraith hissed angrily, the tail swished back and forth behind it. His eyes widened when he realized that this was the warrior he thought he had defeated. Her words came back to him. Perhaps she was not bluffing. The Death Wraith flung his blade aside with a quick flick of its wrist and advanced on him. He tried controlling the dark power surrounding it but he felt only a solid wall blocking him. He backed away, glancing at where his blade had gone. He darted for it but before he could reach it, the Shadow Wraith tackled him in one mighty leap.

It slammed him into the ground, shattering the stone under him. He flinched in pain. It easily kept him restrained as it leaned down to aim its fangs at his neck. He twisted away in time so that the deadly teeth sunk into the curve of his shoulder instead. A claw moved to forcibly tilt his head up and the other held one of his hands down. He would not give in to the screams building in his throat at the ferocity in which the Wraith tore into him. His blood splattered the ground and his free hand pushed at the Wraith weakly but it wouldn't stop. It growled every time he tried. When he was about to pass out, a scraping sound met his ears. At first he thought the Wraith finally met bone but then he remembered it easily broke into bone a few seconds ago.

The sound came from behind them. The Death Wraith lifted its head and turned to focus on Hope who had picked himself off the ground. He glanced at Serah, who was still unconscious, and then his gaze landed on the Death Wraith. His eyes widened in recognition. The Wraith tested the air and then purred strangely as it watched Hope. It stood up to full height and took a few swift steps in Hope's direction. Caius, sensing the chance to escape, dragged himself toward his blade. He used it to stand and then created a gate in which he quickly entered.

"Lightning? You're back in your Wraith form. So did you beat Caius?" he asked tiredly. Its eyes were trained on him but it didn't look like it was listening.

"Light?" Hope questioned hesitantly. It finally reached him and stopped right in front of him. He shivered from the cold but didn't retreat. He had to look up now that it was taller than him. The cold stare told him one thing; it wasn't Lightning he was talking to. Wherever she was, he could only hope she would return soon. He let the cold feeling in the pit of his stomach churn once more before darting away back to Serah. The Wraith snarled behind him, leaning into a crouch so that it could pounce on him. He got a hold of Serah and pulled her to her feet.

"Wake up Serah! We need to get out of here!" he screamed, trying to wake her up. She groaned and slowly came to.

"What's going on?" she wondered. Her gaze drifted over Hope's shoulder to see the Wraith bounding towards them on all fours. The thought of a charging behemoth came to mind and adrenaline shot through her.

"What the- look out Hope!" she yelled, pointing behind him. He pushed her out of the way and then jumped into a roll to escape the claws that came slashing down through the air. The two split up and ran straight for the gate. The Wraith turned around and launched in the direction of Hope. He sped up as fast as he could go. Serah and Hope reached the gate at the same time. They activated it and Serah jumped in, but Hope hesitated. He glanced back at the Wraith briefly, sadness hanging heavy on him. The Wraith was close enough to leap on him so he hurriedly entered the gate.

The Wraith crashed into the gate and tore it to pieces searching for its prey. It roared angrily when it came up with nothing. It paced around, snarling before pausing and looking up at the portal that had just opened off to the right. It stalked over slowly and then entered when no danger presented itself. Caius waited on the other side, newly healed. The only sign he ever had an injury was a torn suit. He watched as the Wraith entered the Dying World he now stood in, his personal past. He knew Hope and Serah had landed here as well a while ago and had another plan brewing. He was home now, where it all started and this would be where he would end this unnecessary nuisance to his plans.


	15. Chapter 15

Hope and Serah trudged through the sand covered world, wondering where they had landed. They had met no one so far and they shuddered when they realized there were no other people around. They remained close together and continued to walk but Hope was constantly hounded by the last time he saw Lightning. Whatever happened to her while he was out had something to do with Caius. She must have finally let her darkness out to help her fight and he probably tried to control it. Hope wondered if that had backfired, making her what she is now.

"Hope, I see something up ahead. It looks like a building of sorts," Serah told him with a hint of excitement. Hope looked ahead and saw what Serah was pointing to. Relief flooded him.

"Let's hurry, I don't want to be caught in the open," he said, slowly shifting into a reluctant jog. Serah began jogging too and together they passed through the opening in the wall. The crumbling city before them didn't make them feel any better. So far it looked just as deserted as the sandy emptiness behind them.

"There's no one here?" Hope cried bitterly. He was hoping for some help at the very least but now all he wanted was to sleep.

"It's going to be ok Hope. How about we find somewhere to settle and take shifts just in case. We deserve a rest anyway," Serah told him, lightly patting his arm to calm him. He rubbed a hand down his face in exasperation. Serah saw right through him.

"I know you worry about Lightning but I think she'll be ok. She's gone through this before and I know she'll pull through. Sis is a strong person. Besides, if we can get some rest then we might be able to find her and end this battle," she suggested. Hope was busy searching buildings while he listened to her. Her words made him feel slightly better about the situation. He sighed and waved her over.

"Let's sleep here. It's cool and I think we won't be seen if we take that corner," he told her. She nodded and they headed inside. Serah tapped Hope's shoulder and he turned to her.

"Why don't you sleep first? I'll be fine. I can see you need it. She needs you after all," she told him. He tried to argue but she silenced him. He nodded before leaning against the wall. In seconds he was asleep. Serah relaxed next to him and tried to remain vigilant. However, his side was warm and comfortable. Soon her eyes drooped closed and she let sleep carry her away.

* * *

Lightning tumbled to the white sand and coughed when dust blew into her face. She couldn't remember much but she knew Caius had brought out the worst in her. She didn't know why it let her go but she had a hunch it was because she didn't have Hope. Even the Wraith in her couldn't exist without his light. She had vague flashes of what she thought were memories when the Wraith had control of her; feeding on Caius, chasing Hope, and then an intense fury. It was all jumbled but somehow it led her here, to The Dying World of the future. It was a struggle to stand but she managed. Her body was healed now but she was still tired from the overdose of power. She took a step and her senses made her freeze. The wind had blown at that moment and she could smell them. Ever since getting back from that lost state of mind her senses had branched out to become stronger despite her tired body. The hunger stole over all that she thought of. Her instinct to hunt all the more pronounced; ready to boost her energy.

Now, she knew Caius was around and that Hope and Serah were near but she wavered on the idea to find them first or hunt down Caius. She was sure that she would attack Hope at any moment and knowing him he would allow it. She dragged her weary body over to lean on an overturned derelict subway car half buried in the sand. When her mind was set she pushed off the car and began her slow trek across the sand. She walked no more than two steps before she faltered and fell to the sand. Her hands grabbed at the shifting ground helplessly as the shadows returned. She was unstable again but she didn't know why. Her senses narrowed in on the scent of Hope on the breeze. She growled when a new scent blew past her, closer, and not too far away. She pushed off the ground and headed for the new scent. For some reason it reminded her of Caius. Whoever it was held his scent as well as their own. She felt the uncontrolled anger rise in her and drove her forward. The change consumed her and soon she was running faster on all fours, kicking up sand as she bolted for the scent that also reeked of Caius.

* * *

Noel was just on his way back home from a fruitless hunt. Although apotampkins travel in three to five monsters a group he only found two. They were frightened of something and it did not ease his thoughts. On top of being the last human around, he still held negative feelings over the loss of Yeul and his mentor Caius walking out on him. He claimed he would find a way to save her but Noel doubted it. He sighed and looked down at the two monsters he caught. They wouldn't be enough and soon he would have to go out again. He found himself wishing the behemoths hadn't died out but he never saw one since Caius left.

"Damn, what the hell is going on here?" he questioned, stopping by a tree that had been yanked out and bodies of apotampkins littered the area. This explained why the monsters were missing. A snarl behind him made him turn in time to deflect a pitch black claw with his double blade and spear. For a second, he thought a behemoth had returned but the claw was smaller and more slender than theirs. He pushed it away and came face to face with something he had never seen but only heard of before.

"A Death Wraith?" he muttered. It bared its teeth at him and then lunged forward. He blocked again but it quickly pushed past his defenses and slammed him to the ground with a forceful tackle. Claws cut into his chest and arms before he managed to kick the Wraith off him. It easily righted itself and was heading for him again. He ran as fast as he could in the direction of the village. He heard it galloping after him but he didn't look back to see how close it was. A sudden force knocked him to the ground again and he fell on his stomach. His air was knocked out of him for just a second and then he scrambled back up. The sand shifted under his feet as he changed direction and headed up a particularly steep dune. The Wraith roared and bounded forward, snagged him by the back of his shirt, and threw him towards the rock face he was running by.

He hit it hard with his back and then slid to the ground, losing his hold on his weapon. It threw up dust as it skidded to a halt in front of him. Its claws grabbed him by the front of his shirt, lifted him up, and then slammed him against the rock wall. It held him there forcefully and scrutinized him critically with its bright gold eyes. He looked away when it leant in to sniff at him. A growl slipped out of its sharp, fanged, mouth but it didn't attack. Instead, it dropped him to the ground and backed away. A claw rested on its head like it was in pain. It glanced at him one more time and then turned to run off across the sands. He watched it disappear and then fell to the ground with a sigh of relief. He really thought he was going to die.

"I think I should just go home and stay there until I have to go out again," he grumbled. He lied there until he caught his breath and felt like getting up. On his way back home he kept a keen eye out for the Wraith. He had just entered his house and stood stalk still when he discovered two people had taken shelter in his home. The boy's green eyes quickly landed on Noel and before he knew it, a burst of aero knocked him out of the house. He fell in the sand but jumped to his feet. In no time, his double blade and spear were out and ready for a fight. He couldn't help but wonder why everyone was out to get him recently. The silver haired young man came out to stand guard at the door. His green eyes watched Noel with a cold gaze like steel. He wondered where the amiable looking young man picked up such a serious look.

"Who are you?" Noel questioned.

"Hope and you are?" he replied.

"My name is Noel. What are you doing in my house?" he asked. Hope glanced at the building behind him and then turned back to Noel with an almost apologetic expression. He still had his defenses up but he was less inclined to attack when he noticed Noel's injuries. Noel let his blades drop a little.

"We were looking for a place to hide and rest. I don't want to fight so if you want us to leave we will," Hope told him. Noel put away his weapon and slowly advanced.

"You're welcomed here as long as you aren't trying to kill me. What are you hiding from?" Noel wondered, thinking of the Wraith he encountered. Hope watched him but was no longer tense.

"Not what, but who; a man named Caius is trying to kill us. We are missing a person so I hoped that if I stayed in one place she might find us. You see, she…needs help," Hope explained. Noel's eyes widened when Hope mentioned Caius.

"Caius is- or was, my mentor. He disappeared a while ago. Why would he want to kill you? That doesn't sound like the Caius I know," Noel responded. Hope leaned on the door way.

"Well he is now. He thinks killing a mass of people will help him save a seer name Yeul or something like that. I was asked by…a close friend, who is tasked with trying to stop him, to help her. After all we went through, this is where we ended up," Hope explained.

"I know Yeul too…please, make yourself comfortable and tell me what you know. I'll prepare something to eat and we can talk. I may be able to help you," Noel replied. Hope nodded and the two went back inside. Hope woke up Serah and introduced them and then Noel began his story while getting them something to eat. He told them Caius was a guardian whose job was to protect the village seer Yeul but when it was Noel's time to take over he had to kill Caius. Noel couldn't do it so Caius remained the guardian. After some time passed, Yeul received a shock when she witnessed an event that caused her powers to become fatal. Caius flew into a rage, promising that he would find a way to save her. He had thrown Noel aside in his mad quest and eventually disappeared. He hadn't heard from Caius ever since. This is where Hope filled Noel in on what Caius had been up to all this time.

"He's done all that in a week?" Noel asked in shock.

"Time is different when you travel through it to different eras," Serah spoke up.

"So let me get this straight, your friend Lightning was chosen by the goddess Etro to save the universe from Caius and you two were assigned by Lightning to help her? Why wasn't I asked to help in all of this? After all, I was involved with Caius from the beginning," he mumbled the last part dejectedly.

"Sorry to leave you out but I didn't even know you existed at the time," a female voice warily said from the door. Everyone jumped but Hope immediately flew to his feet.

"Lightning, are you ok?" he questioned. She looked like a wreck. Her armor was halfway gone, her feathers were dull and blood stained, and her face looked worn out. Her eyes were a haunting dull gray shade again.

"This is Lightning?" Noel wondered incredulously, standing to get a better look. His nonverbal criticism lit a spark in Lightning's eyes that Hope knew was irritation. Noel saw the change and regretted he even said anything. Something told him he didn't want to be on her bad side. It was then that her face and stature looked familiar. She was the Wraith that attacked him. Lightning saw his recognition and turned to him.

"Excuse me, but as I heard, you haven't been putting your life on the line like the rest of us. By the way, I wouldn't have killed you. You just reminded me of Caius," she shot back at him.

"I would have if I was asked and I'm not too convinced you wouldn't have killed me," he retorted. Lightning narrowed her eyes but ignored his comment. Hope watched the argument with a frown. He was trying to understand when the two had met and why Lightning had been in her Wraith form.

"Why don't you make yourself useful then and keep an eye on my sister. I'll skin you alive if any harm comes to her," she warned before striding forward to grab a hold of Hope and drag him outside. Noel exchanged a look with Serah who apologized for Lightning's behavior. Lightning didn't stop when they were outside. She continued to drag Hope through the small village, past a flock of chocobo that milled around, and then made a sharp turn onto a path that led them to a giant statue. She released him and continued on to sit on a low wall of some sort. He ran to stand in front of her.

"Light, are you ok? You don't look too good. How do you know that guy?" he questioned her worriedly. She was panting like she had run a mile. She didn't want anyone but Hope to see how much damage her body had taken so she didn't show her fatigue until now. She was exhausted and her instincts told her to just attack and feed without worry for anything or anyone but herself. Those monsters did nothing to appease her and she had to admit to herself that she would have killed Noel if the pain she constantly felt hadn't distracted her. She couldn't allow that so she planned on asking Hope for help even if she didn't like the idea of putting him through pain again. She was finding it hard to talk at all at the moment now that he was here. She stood but stumbled, Hope catching her before she fell. It was then that she knew what the excess weakness came from. Not only had she been denying her hunger and it drained her of energy but ultimately she had not returned to Valhalla and the stress on her body was too much. Maybe she could give herself more time if she improved her health.

Her grip on Hope tightened at their proximity. Her dull grays found his worried greens and held them there. His hand came up to brush back a lock of her hair before he leaned in and kissed her softly. Her immediate reaction was to return it but her hunger said otherwise. Now that she had a taste she wanted more. She grabbed a handful of his jacket in both hands and pushed him away. She backed him against a wall until he was pressed into the hard stone.

"I know Light, don't hesitate," he said simply. A small frown of concern dampened his features. At his confirmation her hand shot out to grab him by the neck close under his chin and force his head to tilt. Her thumb dug into the soft underside of his jaw but he didn't care. He watched silently as her eyes flashed yellow and her teeth sharped. Her free hand yanked his blue tie loose then pulled open his collared yellow and white jacket until the scarred skin of his shoulder came into view. Her body pressed against his as her nose trailed over his skin. Hope felt the weak pulse of light within her react to his reservoir of light. She almost thought her light really did disappear when Caius twisted the darkness within her but here it was, begging to gain strength of its own.

The weak darkness within him grew wild at the close proximity to her. She bared her teeth and sunk them into his shoulder just as she had done before. In the past, she tried not to hurt him too bad but this time was different. She needed more from him and in her need tore into his flesh roughly to make him bleed more. He sucked in air sharply to relieve the pain. She only concentrated on catching every drop of blood. Her grip relaxed but he knew with this boost in energy came her true form which may or may not go for the kill. It was up to her frame of mind to choose.


	16. Chapter 16

He felt the change through the bond and was surprised when the cold feeling of her shadows embraced his body and began to merge with him. This new revelation stunned him enough that he did not notice when she had released him.

"How is this happening?" he wondered as he raised a hand and watched as the darkness wound itself around his limb like he had seen it do to Lightning many times instead of merely slithering over his skin like before. He caught Lightning's yellow eyes but they only reflected calm certainty.

"You can harness the darkness now if I allow it because you gave it permission through our bond in the past," she told him. He examined how it wrapped around him almost lovingly, healing the bite. Lightning watched him until his eyes were on her again. She pulled him into a kiss that made him react just as strongly. His hands shifted into claws that cut shallowly into the armor she had left as he desperately pulled her against his body. His teeth sharpened, nicking her lips and drawing blood but it only made her fight his tongue for dominance even more.

She purred at his touch and he growled at the sound. He pulled back from her lips to leave a trail of kisses down her neck. He curiously tasted her skin once before biting her. His newly sharpened teeth cut through just as easily as hers did to him. She growled and pulled away but her body language hinted at amusement not anger. Where Hope only had the claws, eyes, and teeth of a Shadow Wraith, she was in her full form but a dose of his light cured her of the inhuman rage she suffered from before. He smirked and tackled her to the ground. She playfully snapped at him when he pinned her down.

He took the moment to kiss her once more but she pushed him over and held him down. Her tail wrapped around one of his legs and her hands held is hands down on the side of his head. He felt warmth again as she recalled the shadows from him. She leaned down and lightly clamped her teeth on his neck to show she won but at that moment she tensed as gravel shifted close by. He could feel the warning growl travel through her body and the sound made him feel on edge. She released him to face the danger. Noel stood with his weapon out and trained on her. Hope turned his head to see Noel. He glanced back at Lightning who wasn't too happy. In her full form she had no problem with Hope and occasionally the others that she knew well, but newcomers were not welcome as her instincts would guide her toward defense.

"Noel, what are you doing here?" Hope demanded. His tone coaxed another growl from Lightning who had let his hands and leg go in favor of crouching over him defensively.

"I came to make sure you guys were ok and find her trying to kill you. I was only going to get her off you I swear," he replied.

"Leave before she decides you really are a threat. I don't want misunderstandings if she chooses to attack. Go back and look out for Serah like you were asked," he advised. Noel faltered, but nodded and backed away, only letting his guard down when he was around the corner. When he was gone, Hope placed a hand on Lightning's cheek. Her intense stare softened in a way only he could bring about. She closed her eyes and relaxed next to him.

"Are you ok?" he asked her.

"_I'm fine. I forgot who he was for a while. He smelled like Caius. I only wanted you safe. I haven't been doing a good job of that recently though have I?" _she replied guiltily.

"You have Light. You beat yourself up too much. Don't ever forget that I love you," he reminded her. She gave him a smile full of fangs and he smiled back. He relaxed into the earth and felt her follow suit. She responded by lying on his chest with half her body over his. With her claws clasped together on his chest under her head and her tail sweeping through the sand once in a while to rest against his leg and then back again, it grew calm.

The temperature was warm out but it felt nice instead of hot with Lightning's cold body on his. His eyes drooped shut and he fell asleep. Hours had passed while they slept. Lightning was the first to wake up. She removed herself from Hope and stretched, taking note of the disappearance of the shadows. She glanced back at Hope and then stood to study herself. All her injuries were now fine scars. Her torso was all healed but the skin was damaged and her armor was no longer under the term protective.

"Hey Light, are you ok?" Hope asked through a yawn. She smiled and offered him a hand up. He took it and she pulled him up. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"I was really scared for you Claire. Caius took a toll on you didn't he?" he told her, tightening his hold slightly. She wrapped her arms around his waist to calm him.

"Yes, but you set me right, just like you always do," she replied. He pulled back to look her in the eyes.

"I'm glad," he said, leaning in to gently kiss her. She returned the kiss and then stepped out of his hold.

"I love spending time with you Hope but I need to make sure Serah is properly being taken care of. Noel doesn't seem to know the meaning of stay and protect," she said with a small amount of irritation. She started back to the village with Hope following after her. They entered the small house to find that both Noel and Serah were missing.

"Shit," Lightning cursed under her breath. Her senses analyzed the house. She followed it out and in the direction of the huge expanse of sand.

"They went this way," she informed him, jogging to the entrance of the village. They left the village behind and were now standing at the edge of the big barren wasteland.

"Serah isn't naïve. I know she wouldn't leave with him anywhere for just any reason which means Caius found us again and they had to run," she mumbled. Hope was going to put her at ease but right when he opened his mouth to tell her not to get worked up, a bolt shot into the sky, churning up dark clouds and bringing forth a portal.

"That's probably where they are. Let's go Hope," she commanded, taking off in a full sprint. They crossed the area to a bridge and then skid to a stop when they saw the giant rift monster. Serah and Noel were trying to keep it back with a combination of saboteur and medic. Noel took on the role of synergist when needed. By the time they reached them, Sarah had changed to ravager and Noel was the commando. Their offensive worked well and together the monster was defeated.

"Hey, you guys make a good team," Hope commented, jogging over to them. Lightning followed at a slower pace, watching as the clouds dispersed and the portal shrank. She wasn't quite ready to let her guard down just yet.

"I guess you're capable of protecting her," Lightning addressed Noel, although she didn't sound impressed. He sheathed his weapon and grinned triumphantly anyway.

"You've grown strong Noel. Maybe now you can defeat me," Caius contemplated from a high dune of sand. The group looked up at him. He smirked and slid down the sandy incline to approach them. Lightning growled and almost attacked right when she laid eyes on him. Hope held her hand comfortingly.

"Caius, you're back. Why do we have to fight? Can't we both be guardians? And what is this about you killing people to save Yeul?" Noel questioned. Caius laughed.

"That is why you can't help her Noel. You cannot hope to do what I can for her. You can't even obtain the role of Guardian. You're weak," he replied spitefully.

"We'll see about that," Noel shot back, pulling out his double blade and spear. Caius advanced threateningly but Lightning moved to block him.

"Finally on your feet?" he mocked but his mouth twitched into a grimace.

"Careful what you say, I could tear you to pieces for sure with no hesitation," she replied. Hope tugged on her hand to get her attention.

"I'll get the others to safety. I know you can beat him Light," he whispered to her. She nodded and he let her hand go to direct the others. Serah gave Lightning a worried glance but followed Hope without complaint.

"I'm staying. Caius is as much my problem as he is yours," Noel stated. Lightning was ready to tell him to leave but Caius laughed and cut off what she had to say. He pulled out his blade and held it at the ready. Lightning summoned her weapon and Noel held up his weapons anxiously. Caius shot forward in a flash and Noel ran to meet him.

"Stupid, he's going to get himself killed," Lightning muttered. Caius met Noel's blades four times, parrying all and then kicked him out of the way. Lightning dodged his attack on her and Noel came back to attack him from behind. Caius blocked and slashed at the ground, sending sand everywhere including Noel's face. He stumbled blindly while Caius took advantage of the opening to strike. Lightning swiftly ran between them and knocked his blade aside in time. She swung at Caius multiple times but he only received a gash across his chest. By then Noel was no longer blinded. He pushed past Lightning and continued to oppose Caius. A swift counter attack made Noel vulnerable to a stagger. Caius jumped away and then slammed his blade down to create a wave of energy shooting towards Noel from three different angles. He rolled away in time but just barely. Lightning moved to catch him off guard but Caius was ready for her. His last block ended with his blade caught against hers. She twisted the weapon away and fired a shot at him with a quick shift of her weapon. He dodged but Noel jumped in and kicked him to the ground.

"It's over Caius," Noel said.

"No," Caius responded. He raised his hand to the sky where clouds collected to spark purple flashes. Meteors fell from the sky, striking the ground randomly. Lightning pushed Noel out of the path of a meteor, replacing him and taking the hit. Caius picked up his blade and turned to Noel. They exchanged heavy hitting hits until Caius knocked Noel off his feet and then brought the blade down across his back. He flinched but returned to his feet unsteadily.

Caius didn't waste time and jumped forward, slamming the young man by the throat against a fallen meteor buried in the sand. His grip tightened, Noel gasped from the lack of air. Lightning finally managed to force her way out from under the meteor and stealthily grabbed Caius from behind. She disarmed him but he head butted her unexpectedly, sending her reeling. Noel collapsed after a giant intake of air. Caius' attention stayed on Noel. He wasn't done with him yet. He reached for the young man but Lightning beat him to his goal. She blocked him from getting to Noel and then pushed him back. She was determined to win this confrontation. Caius skid to a halt and glowered at her in frustration.

"Why protect him? This is between me and him," Caius growled.

"No, that fight has long been over. Your dispute is with me now," she replied solemnly. He launched at her with a sneer and she met him halfway. They exchanged blows until Caius knocked her blade aside. It landed in the sand and disappeared. Quick thinking disarmed Caius not to long after. Having no weapons to attack with, they grabbed each other by the shoulders and pushed.

"What makes you think you can win Caius? My temper is the worst thing you could trigger and after what you did to me, you aren't getting out of here alive!" she yelled. He slipped in the sand but recovered almost immediately.

"Don't underestimate the power of Chaos," he said forcibly. She bared her now sharp teeth while a feeling of dread washed over him. Shadows were racing over her body. Her newly formed claws dug into his shoulders. Once her wings had formed she used them to throw all her weight plus more against him. He fell on his back with her holding him down. The force made them skid a little but when they came to a stop, Caius desperately fought her hold. Nothing would slow her down at this point. Her claws repeatedly gouged out his flesh. When he slipped away, she pounced on him and brought him back to the ground. She bit into his side and prepared to tear but he kicked her away. He ran and managed to escape into another portal. She roared angrily.

"_Coward,"_ she spat out as she stalked back over to check on Noel. She crouched next to him and placed a claw on the side of his face. He jumped like someone threw ice water on him. When he caught sight of Lightning he scurried away.

"Where did he go?" he asked her nervously.

"_He escaped, __**again.**__ I'll be sure to kill him next time," _she grumbled.

"Do you know where the others are?" he asked.

_They must have gone ahead. Hopefully they didn't enter a gate or I may not be able to follow them," _she replied.

"We should go find them," he suggested, keeping a wary eye on her as he picked up his dropped weapon and put it away. She nodded in agreement.

"Do you mind leading the way?" he prompted. She watched him for a few seconds before walking in the direction she felt Hope and Serah had gone. Noel followed her but he kept glancing at her once in a while. She caught him staring more than once.

_You know what I am," _she stated. It wasn't a question. He nodded.

"It's just that, they have been rumored to not exist anymore. I remember learning of their influence back before The Fall but once the Fal'Cie Orphan had fallen, they were wiped out," he began to explain. She nodded.

"_I'm not a full Wraith though. I'm what some call a Halfling, half human half Shadow Wraith," _she replied.

"How have you maintained such control? I heard Wraiths were killing machines," he said. She resisted the urge to growl at him in irritation.

"_Hope, his light keeps me from falling under," _she replied.

"That goody-two-shoes looking guy?" Noel questioned unbelievably. Lightning let a small smile touch her features.

"_Yes," _she replied simply. By now they had reached the bridge when Lightning stopped. She raised her nose to the air and then turned to Noel. She held out a claw but he only looked at it questioningly. She sighed, grabbed a tight hold of his hand, and then shot into the sky. He screamed and threw out a hand to grasp her other claw so that he hung below her by both his hands.


	17. Chapter 17

In no time they soared over the long distance of white sand and landed in a narrow crooked path that held a gate. She dropped him a few inches off the ground and he landed roughly on his feet. She landed further in the narrow path next to Hope.

"Did you get him?" Serah questioned. Lightning shook her head.

_The coward ran. I'm sure he's off making new plans. He must know by now that he has no chance of fighting," _she replied.

"Let's go find him then," Noel jumped in, joining their small circle.

"You have to stay here in your own time," Hope cut in, seeing the look Lightning gave Noel. Noel gave him a strange look that clearly meant he didn't want to be told what to do but had no choice but to listen.

"_Thank you for your help Noel but this is out of your hands," _Lightning told him, laying a claw on his shoulder and pushing gently to remove him from the group. Hope stared at the exchange with an impatient sound. Noel sighed but nodded.

"You know where to find me," he said, before turning to run back to the village. They watched him go.

"Where are we headed now?" Hope asked with crossed arms.

"_The Historia Crux will take us there," _she replied. Hope activated the gate and the trio entered. They came out in a bright metallic place full of shifting shapes floating in the air.

"_Academia 500, the time in which The Academy will have its new Cocoon ready to launch. Caius will see to the destruction and the lives of so many people," _Lightning said. They looked out at the shifting blocks before stepping forward. Lightning grabbed each of their hands and lifted them off the ground. She let her senses guide her to a big platform in the distance. An unknown presence made her falter and drop the two on a platform halfway to the bigger one. She turned to confront a skinny transparent red creature that shot fire at her. She flew through it and tackled the monster to the floor. It cracked but did not shatter.

"What are these things?" Hope called from a little distance away. He and Serah were keeping a transparent blue creature at bay. Its icy breath was easily repelled by a stream of fire from Hope. Serah had Mog in bow form and shot arrows repeatedly.

"_I don't know just stay focused," _she replied. The red creature struggled back to its feet and stomped fiercely with its pointed legs. Lightning jumped away from its raging attacks. The blue creature behind her took up the same attack. Hope staggered but his main priority was to keep Serah out of the danger zone. Lightning leaped at the creature once more and latched onto it with her claws. It screeched and tried to shake her off but she stayed on. A few minutes of struggling, and she already had it crashing to the floor again. This time, she made sure it shattered under her blows. As soon as it was destroyed the blue creature screeched and began to split.

"It's duplicating?" Serah exclaimed, stepping back. Lightning ran over to them. Hope threw his boomerang and it struck the creature in the head, temporarily stunning it. Lightning took advantage of the stagger and leaped up to knock it down. It shattered from the impact Lightning was sure to enhance this time around. She landed and then checked on the other two. When they were ok she set her sights in the direction she knew they had to go. She ran, grabbing the two on the way, and then took off back into the air. They landed on the preferred platform this time around. She was certain Caius waited up ahead. Power radiated across the long bridge. It was then Lightning was unsure about the battle ahead.

"_Serah, I'm proud of you. You helped fix time but right now I need you to return to Oerba. You'll be safe there," _Lightning told her sister.

"But Lightning what about you?" she asked.

"_I have Hope. We'll watch out for each other now go. I don't want you to get hurt," _she replied. Serah whimpered but nodded. She ran to activate a nearby teleport that took her back to the gate. When she was sure that Serah had made it to safety, she turned to Hope.

"_Let's go," _she told him. He nodded and joined her at her side. Lightning glanced up at the huge building and then they ran full tilt across the bridge. Caius would be stopped if it was the last thing they did. As they ran, a blur of movement caught Lightning's attention. She looked up and saw Chaos Bahamut diving right for them. Lightning grabbed Hope and then jumped from the bridge. He was taken by surprise but understood when a moment later the great dragon crashed through the bridge. Pieces of the debris rained down on them while Lightning flew in search of a place to land. She touched down on a solid cube that didn't shift like the others.

"Is that Caius?" Hope questioned.

"_Yes, if we can weaken him in this state then we can fight him on more evened ground," _she replied.

"And how do we do that?" he said. Without answering, Lightning tensed and looked to the sky; Chaos Bahamut was flying right for them again. Lightning spied a lone platform and relocated with Hope in tow. Right when she released him, a brilliant bright blue orb of electricity struck close by. Chaos Bahamut floated in front of them. Hope pulled out his boomerang and charged it full of electricity before launching it at his target. Chaos Bahamut watched the incoming projectile and then deftly caught it in his giant claw. He crushed it and then advanced on the two. They jumped apart when it swooped in to try and crush them between its claws. Lightning jumped and lashed out at it, gaining some damage, but it swiped at her and she pulled back. Hope was busy throwing every magic based attack he could remember. Lightning's next assault aimed right for the head. She struck at the same time Hope cast deprotect, making her attack all the more damaging.

Chaos Bahamut faltered in its attempt to evade her next swing. It dived sharply under her and shot at Hope. Seconds from Hope, it changed back into Caius and slammed into him. They crashed to the floor where Hope unleashed volley upon volley of magic at Caius who ignored the pain and opted for a direct approach on Hope. His hand was savagely latched onto Hope's neck while the other reached back to obtain his blade. Lightning flew in and threw Caius off Hope. She landed with a skid and then shifted into a run right for Caius. He stood on one knee, propped up by his blade but when he saw Lightning coming he stood and slammed his blade down to create three separate waves of purple energy heading right for her. She went to jump but was too late. They connected and threw her back. She hit the ground on her back and then rolled into a crouch.

"Killing me will not solve this problem warrior of Etro nor will it amount to anything more than destruction. I know what will become of this land and it is not peace," he told her, keeping his blade pointed at the two. Hope glanced at Lightning who had begun to look hesitant. He didn't know what she knew but he did know that Caius needed to be stopped. Lightning stood and stalked over to Caius with Hope following close behind. She knew their victory over him would not amount to anything and would be the end of everything just as he said. Yet she knew he had to be defeated. It was only a matter of figuring out how.

"_It is my duty to stop you Caius regardless of what comes next. Don't think you can talk me out of that," _she told him solemnly. He grimaced and held his blade at the ready.

"So be it," he stated. Before Hope was aware, they flew at each other and were already exchanging blows. Lightning easily dodged many swings and blasts of fire Caius aimed at her and then returned the favor. Caius wasn't always able to get out of the way. His shoulder was cut open as well as his side. He favored his left leg because Lightning had kicked it out from under him so hard it almost broke. The few attempts to land damage on Lightning only healed. She was unaffected by all his attacks but she was still weakening, something she fought hard for Caius not to know. They jumped away from each other's blows at the same time, both landing in an uncomfortable stance. Hope ran over to place a hand on Lightning's arm. She felt better almost immediately.

"_We both know who will walk away from this confrontation Caius. The only question I have before this ends is whether this restriction to enter Valhalla will pass once I defeat you," _she questioned. He smirked and shook his head.

"I had already lifted it when we began this fight. I knew once your way back was open, the call would strengthen and wear on you even greater. I was hoping that would help me win but I guess you are too well guarded," he confessed, glancing momentarily at Hope. Lightning clenched her teeth together in silent fury.

"Then take her back to Valhalla. You have nothing left to lose," Hope demanded. Caius glared at him hatefully. He raised a hand and a portal appeared to his right. He walked in without warning. Lightning burst into motion, sprinting for the portal and taking Hope with her. She leaped at the slowly closing gateway and in a flash they were both tumbling through dark sand. Lightning came to a stop in the water and Hope followed. She stood and took in her surroundings, noting Caius watching her not too far away. She took a deep breath and then realized she was no longer covered in darkness.

"Is this Valhalla?" Hope asked, standing. His expression went from curiosity to shock.

"Light you-" he began but a dark laugh from Caius stopped him.

"She has lost her darkness. Here in Valhalla the Goddess Etro is the source of your power. She does not allow you to use darkness because that is the tool of Chaos. You may feel better here, but you should have stayed out," Caius explained as he moved towards them. His movements suggested he no longer felt bothered by the injuries he sustained. Lightning noticed he was fully healed.

"So we're back to square one," she said, turning to face him with a grim frown.

"Yes, except you have a liability," he told her, glancing at Hope. She frowned and called her weapon to her. She ran straight at him and raised her gunblade. Caius merely watched her advance, amused. Hope looked on, wondering what Caius was trying to do when it seemed to occur to him out of the blue. Panic invaded his senses.

"Lightning, don't!" he called, running to stop her. Caius swung up to block Lightning's attack and then pushed her away. He spun and then lashed out but she blocked. He tried again but she dodged under and then attacked with an underhand swing. Her blade cut across his chest with enough force to knock him on his back. She stood staring down at the fallen Caius. Hope caught up to her.

"I heard a voice. I don't know who it was but it warned me that Caius wants this. He's goading you into attacking him," Hope told her, panting for air. She turned to him with a questioning stare.

"Etro?" she asked.

"I don't know," he replied. She looked back at Caius to see his body disappear in a sea of darkness. A dark light shot into the sky and then exploded outwards. Both Lightning and Hope were blown into the air and cast out into the deep waters beyond. Lightning hit the water and immediately searched for Hope. She found him sinking deeper and out cold. She broke into a powerful swim and caught him by the wrist. Then she began swimming back to the surface. She called on Etro's power to shoot them through the water at a faster speed and then up into the air where a platform of twisted crystal took shape to catch them. She set Hope down and called on her weapon again. Hope coughed and then sat up. He looked around at the void surrounding them and then looked up at Lightning.

"Where are we?" he asked. She was about to answer when a giant purple dragon rose from below. It roared and was followed by two others. One was red and the other yellow. The three pairs of eyes stared down at them critically. Hope scrambled to his feet in awe.

"Stay close Hope. There has to be a weakness. I'll take one and you take the other. If our abilities don't help us then we switch," she told him. He nodded and turned to face Garnet Bahamut while Lightning faced Amber Bahamut. The few attacks they managed to unleash while avoiding the dragon's claws and bursts of energy told them it was best to switch. Upon switching, they held a better offense. Garnet Bahamut seemed to be weak against physical attacks while Amber Bahamut was weak against magic attacks. The two dragons fell out of sight to be replaced by Jet Bahamut. It swooped into the air and summoned fire that fell from above to strike at them.

They evaded each one but were knocked down when Jet Bahamut raised its wing like arms to summon a ball of white energy that exploded and sent them flying. Lightning pushed herself up and scanned for Hope who she saw was struggling to stand. Jet Bahamut was high above them creating a giant ball of energy unlike the one it had made before. She ran to Hope and helped him stand. Up close she could see he had been cut on his arm and the leg of his pants were singed. He probably had a bruise forming on his back by the way he flinched when she moved him. She looked into his eyes worriedly but he knew what was to come.

She placed her hands on his face and then closed her eyes to concentrate. Etro might not want her to battle Chaos with its own weapon but she wasn't going to let it win. Hope felt the all-encompassing light that filled her now that she had access to Etro's power. Her darkness was only a speck in the center. He called to that light, removing the darkness and allowing pure light to take over. His own reserves of light flooded her and he quickly blacked out. She caught him from slipping out of her reach and set him on the ground gently. When she summoned her blade she was rewarded with Odin's double sided weapon that was pure white and glowed with bright radiance. She launched into the air and prepared to strike down Jet Bahamut.

Right as her blade pierced the giant dragon's hide, it released its Giga Flare. She heard Jet Bahamut roar in pain and then there was no more. She felt the waves rolling under her again. She was on her back in the sands of Valhalla. She sat up quickly and searched for Hope. The sudden action made her head spin but she forced herself to her feet. Hope was lying not too far away. Lightning staggered over and fell to her knees next to him. He was pale and unmoving. She reached out for their bond and barely felt him. She placed a hand on his chest and returned any light she had left to offer, dousing herself in darkness that quickly took over without the light to hold it back. He groaned and then fell silent but that's all she needed to hear. He would be ok.

"I wanted to create a world where Yeul would never have to die again. We would be free to live out our lives together yet you hinder me from making my dream a reality," Caius accused tiredly. He was shuffling through the sand, trying to reach her. She stood and took a few steps forward to confront him.

"_I couldn't allow you to commit genocide just to save the life of one person," _she replied calmly. He laughed without humor.

"Of course not, then kill me. I do not want to go on existing in this way," he told her.

"_No," _she replied firmly.

"If you refuse, I will make you," he threatened. He shot forward unexpectedly and raised his blade over Hope's unprotected body. She halted his progress, smacking his blade from his hand and then throwing him to the ground. She held him down with a growl and raised her claw. She realized her actions and backed away from Caius. He pushed himself up and on his feet.

"Kill me, or I'll rain hell on all you love! I will let Chaos destroy this world as long as I live!" he yelled at her in fury. She stopped and turned to look at him, knowing what he said was true. She gave herself a second to decide and then she attacked.


	18. Chapter 18

Lightning's claw shot out and plunged through Caius' chest. She pulled back and watched him fall to the ground. In her fist, the power of Chaos pulsed. It became one with her darkness and rushed through her body, paralyzing her. She stumbled back stiffly in the direction of Hope. She wanted to see him one last time before this power, which she was certain would destroy her, made her black out. She only took two steps and then fell to her knees. Hope sat up and shook his head. When he saw Lightning in her Wraith form but in terrible pain he jumped to his feet and ran to her. By the time he reached her she had fallen. He rolled her on her back and then checked their bond. He couldn't feel her anymore. She was gone.

"You **can't** be gone! After all this?" he exclaimed, trying to hold back the tears. He looked at Caius and his hands tightened. The body had begun to fade into pinpoints of light that fluttered away in the breeze. Hope was sure he would have gone insane if Caius stood again. Then he would have lost Light for nothing. He allowed himself to cry over her until a voice called to him. It encouraged him to bring Lightning to the tall building in the distance. He had nothing left to lose so he did as it said. It was a long trip to his destination but his determination held strong. With every step his already worn out body felt like collapsing. Lightning seemed to get heavier and heavier but he finally made it inside the building.

Hope looked up at a throne sitting in a spotlight. Stairs materialized up to the top and the voice told him to climb them. He took a deep breath and hauled Light up on autopilot. His mind was a wreck and his body was worse. He just wanted to sit and grieve but the voice kept stringing him along. He reached the top and the voice directed him to set Lighting upon it. He looked into her face and felt the tears spring up again. He couldn't get rid of the feeling that he wouldn't see her again. He did as he was told and then backed up. A light flashed and Lightning was no longer in her Wraith form. Her blade shimmered into existence on her lap and warmth returned to her face. With a gasp she opened her eyes and stood up straight. She looked at Hope and smiled sadly.

"Claire?" he questioned. She shook her head, a lone tear fell. She crossed her leg over the other and then looked ahead. It was then that her body was slowly transforming into crystal. The feathers under her brightened and became whole. He ran forward but her sad smile told him it was useless. Another flash blinded him and when he opened his eyes she was as much a crystal as her sister had been when they met. He stumbled over to the throne and fell to his knees at her feet. He didn't let himself cry this time. He felt what she wanted him to. She wanted this. She didn't want him to interfere. What had happened when he had been knocked out? He slammed his fists on the stair beneath him.

"Dammit!" he growled. The last thing he felt was how much she loved him. He only wished he could have sucked up his shock over what was happening and told her the same. Instead, he stood warily and leaned over to kiss her forehead.

"I love you Claire," he whispered. He sighed and glanced at her one more time before taking the stairs back down. They disappeared when he stepped off the last one. A gate opened in front of him. He felt beyond tired and worn out and his heart was crushed but he knew he had to return home even if he would rather stay there a while longer. He stepped up to the gate and let it take him back without Lightning.

* * *

Ever since Hope showed up in a place he didn't know, he was a mess. His friends had somehow been teleported to the future by what everyone had explained as The Voice. Now they lived in a place called New Bodhum. The new settlement had come about when news of a new ark reached Oerba and half the village set out to Academia including his friends who yearned for adventure and hoped to find Serah, Hope, Lightning, and Snow too. Along the way they discovered a nice place to settle and that became New Bodhum. They had remained there until word of the new ark's completion reached them. Hope was confused for some time before he came around and accepted all these new changes.

Serah took charge of reminding him to eat and get some sleep. She didn't bug Hope about what had happened even though she wanted to. She worried intently over her sister's whereabouts but at the same time didn't want to know the truth. Hope had returned alone and he looked nothing like the Hope she knew. He had a haunted look in his eyes and rarely spoke to anyone. Serah had found him crying in his new home many times. All he told her was that Lighting was gone. He repeated that phrase and only that phrase. She busied herself doing odd jobs with Snow who had been thrown into New Bodhum much the same way Serah, Hope, and the others were. It took Hope three months and some careful prying from Serah before he finally opened up to her on the subject of Lightning. She had come over one day to bring him something to eat when he sat her down and finally let everything go.

He told her that when they defeated the three dragons known as Garnet, Amber, and Jet Bahamut that made up Chaos he had been knocked unconscious. Lightning had continued to fight Caius and won, but at a price. He went on to explain that a voice guided him to a throne where he placed Lightning. She had awoken but said nothing to him, only trying to comfort him through their bond. Then she had turned to crystal. He held his face in his hands while Serah pondered what it all meant. Lightning was never a L'Cie like them. Instead, she had been infected by a Death Wraith so she had no focus to fulfill. She had been turned to crystal by some other being who she guessed was this voice Hope had heard, but for what reason she did not know. It was then that she knew exactly what happened. She shook Hope's shoulder excitedly to get his attention.

"Hope, Lightning isn't dead. At the most she's encased in crystal like I was. The Goddess Etro must have saved her again. Whatever happened between Lightning and Caius, she might have died if it wasn't for Etro. I'm sure of it," she told him. He looked at her with morose eyes.

"Do you really think so?" he asked, a small spark returning to his gaze. She smiled and nodded.

"I'm sure of it," she replied. He looked away and then sighed. Then he stood and looked for his jacket and boots.

"Where are you going?" she asked him.

"If Light is still out there somewhere she will be back. I can't accept anything less. I'm going to get back to work defending the new settlement. It's what she would have wanted," he said, determination slowly creeping back into his otherwise desolate tone.

"But Hope, didn't you hear? Almost half the village will be traveling across Pulse to a pick up point to live on Bhunivelze. You know; the new ark Lt. Amodar helped to create. After I got here Cocoon had finally fallen on its own and the new ark was launched," she explained. He looked at her in confusion and then glanced out the window.

"Hope, are you ok?" she questioned him. An odd expression between hope and sadness crossed his features. He looked a Serah and then shook his head.

"I thought I felt something…never mind. I'll be happy to escort the group if at all possible," he told her. She watched him closely before nodding.

"They have an escort team assembled to keep those who can't fight safe from the monsters roaming pulse. I'll go ahead and let Snow know your joining them. He's heading the group," she explained, standing to leave. Once she was gone, Hope dug around for the new boomerang he had helped Sazh make. He strapped it to his waist and threw on his jacket. His boots went on next. He left his house and easily found Fang who was teaching Vanille how to use her spear. Vanille had been bugging to learn.

"Hey, do you guys know where Snow is assembling the team?" he asked.

"Oh, so you're finally out of your funk and back on the battlefield? Sounds like someone I know," she told him with a wink. He gave her a small smile.

"Yeah, I know. How come you aren't going?" he asked Fang.

"Ah, well we need a good fighter at home don't we?" she replied.

"That makes sense," he said. Vanille could see that Fang was only looking to tease Hope some more before answering his question so she spoke up.

"If you're looking for Snow, the group is getting together just outside the gate over there," Vanille said, pointing. He nodded and thanked them, jogging over and jumping the small divider in the gate.

"So, we're heading out soon is there any more questions?" Snow's booming voice asked.

"Is there room for one more?" Hope asked, walking up to stand by Snow.

"Hey you, I didn't think Serah was having much luck getting through that thick noggin of yours!" he said jovially.

"Yeah well she did. Mind finding me a place?" he responded.

"Sure thing, your place is right here by my side. You can cover my back like the old days," he said with a smile. Hope nodded and remained quiet while Snow finished his pep talk. Then they headed out. It wasn't very exciting but it kept Hope's mind from wandering to thoughts he didn't want to get into. Snow alternated between directing the group to telling Hope of all the stories he knew of. They were now passing through the last bit of foliage that surrounded New Bodhum and marked the starting of the wilds of Gran Pulse.

"So, I was saying to Serah- hey keep that watch point you two and stop messing around! Sorry, those guys never pay attention. So like I said-" Snow babbled in Hope's ear. He had been listening to the man's stories up until he had that feeling again. Then he ignored Snow to concentrate on what it was. He walked away and into a nearby tangled of bushes.

"Hey, where are you going?" Snow called in confusion.

"I'm making sure nothing is hiding over here. I thought I saw something. Don't hold up, I'll be back quick," he responded almost automatically. Snow looked conflicted but shrugged eventually and let him go. Hope turned his attention back to the dark forest ahead of him. He took out his boomerang and sparked thunder in his clenched fist.

"I know your there. I can feel you," he muttered to the quiet surroundings. A force slammed into him from behind and he fell. His boomerang slipped from his hands so he let loose a spark of electricity that shot out and lit up his vision. Hungry gold eyes looked down on him before a glint of sharp teeth snapped at him. It was going for his neck so he blocked it with his arm. The fangs sliced into his arm easily and his blood ran. The pain was manageable due to the numb but cold feeling rushing into him. It was then that he stopped struggling to get free and gasped.

"Lightning?" he inquired. He received a growl and then was released. The creature retreated through the foliage and he hurried to follow. He chased the crashing sounds and then when he felt he was close enough he leaped. His arms wrapped around a frigid body and then they fell to the floor. He was only aware of a brief scuffle and then they fell out of the dense trees and into a bright clearing. Hope held the creature under him and panted from the effort of the fight. The creature had not once used its sharp claws or teeth after that first bite. He looked down and gasped.

"_You're lucky I gained control right after biting you," _she said with a smile that looked utterly devious in the form she was in.

"I thought you were…" he began.

"_I came back," _she replied. He removed himself from her and stood, offering her a hand up which she took. The shadows began to disperse, leaving Lightning in her old uniform standing in front of him. He was so overcome with happiness he grabbed her in a tight hug and held her close.

"I'm glad you got out," he mumbled gratefully, feeling tears gather again.

"I am too," she replied returning his hug. He pulled away but kept his hands on her waist. Her hands rested on his arms.

"What happened?" he questioned.

"Caius told me if I killed him the problem wouldn't be solved. I understood his meaning. The Chaos within him was a manifestation of Etro so if I killed him she would have been killed too. To get around this I absorbed the power instead since I shared the same darkness. Only Guardians are allowed to do this but I knew I would have to be the one to do it. I couldn't let Noel sacrifice himself even though he was the rightful heir," she began.

"That's right, Caius was his mentor," Hope said. She nodded.

"When I absorbed Chaos my body began to shut down from the power. I had successfully defeated Caius without harm to Etro so she guided the only other person who was there," she said, giving Hope a grateful but small smile. Hope smiled back.

"So she turned you into crystal," he said.

"Yes, to preserve my body and soul so that she could reclaim the Chaos. Once that was done she released me. She provided me with a way out and this is where I landed. I have to admit I knew you were around but that side of me must have needed you more at the moment," she explained with a small unsure glance away. Hope chuckled.

"Almost like the first time we met. You tackled me first and asked questions later," he said. She shrugged and moved away.

"I don't know what you went through Hope but I assure you I missed you just as much," she told him. He walked over and held her hand in his and then pulled her around to see her face.

"I can believe that," he replied.

"I heard what you said before you left," she said, looking into his green eyes. He looked back into her softening blue eyes.

"And?" he replied.

"I love you too," she told him. He smiled and leaned in to kiss her. He pulled her close and she wrapped her arms around his neck. When they pulled away Hope had a lazy smile on his lips. Lightning was the most relaxed she had been in a very long time. They held each other in comfortable silence which was quickly broken.

"You left behind a group of innocent people to make out?" Snow's booming voice sounded across the clearing. Both Lightning and Hope tensed. Hope could feel the unholy wrath of Lightning building.

"He probably didn't mean that," Hope commented.

"No, he probably did," she responded. She let him go and walked over to Snow.

"Good to see you sis," he greeted with honest happiness.

"It's good to see you too Snow, but if you're here, what about those innocent people you're supposed to be watching?" she asked with a skeptical raise of an eyebrow. He looked shocked and then jumped into action and ran back through the trees. Hope laughed, casting cure on his arm and then washing off the blood with water.

"I thought you would punch him again," he said, walking over to her.

"No, even Snow doesn't deserve that right now," she replied. He took her hand in his and smiled.

"So later?" he asked. She only shrugged. Together they went back to New Bodhum, eventually explaining to all their friends exactly what happened on their grand adventure through time and space. Serah was beyond happy to have her sister back. Lightning had a hard time shaking her off. Both Hope and Lightning never let each other out of the other's sight. Everything was finally back to the way it should be and they looked forward to a bright future ahead.

* * *

**Wow, its finally over...I don't know whether to be happy another story is done or sad because its one thing less to do when I want a break from other things. Well, all I can say for now is hope everyone who read enjoyed it and I hope to continue receiving reviews even after its over.**


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